Replaceable
by StarSwathi
Summary: Kurt's life spirals out of his control but he finds help in the unlikeliest people.
1. Chapter 1

Replaceable

by StarSwathi

A/N: I do not own or get any money out of this. Just the pleasure of writing, which will be increased by reviews.

Edited by I AM AIR

* * *

Kurt walked in the garage ready to work. He had his coveralls and gloves on, both perfectly sized for him. Hey, just because he was a kick-ass mechanic didn't mean that he need the greasy proof under his nails.

As he walked out to the car closest to the door, Kurt heard laughter. Not just any laughter, but the 'buddy-buddy' laughter that seemed to be everywhere now days. The laughter that showed that even the garage wasn't a Burt-Kurt zone anymore. No, Finn had invaded the last place where Kurt felt close to his dad.

Kurt watched as Finn and his dad become closer and closer with very envious eyes. The two, to him, seemed almost connected at the hip now days. While it was true he wanted them to be a family, he never thought that he was going to be left out.

It seemed to start slowly: a game here, a TV show there. Now, during dinners, Burt and Finn would talk endlessly about Finn's last game, or the chance at a favorite team actually making the playoffs. Kurt knew that he wasn't the kind of son that Burt had probably wanted, but that didn't mean that Burt should use Finn to fill in the gaps where Kurt was lacking. Considering how much time Burt now spent with Finn, there must have been a lot of things the Burt felt was lacking in Kurt.

The laughter from the back of the garage broke Kurt out of his daze. Part of him wanted to throw a huge diva fit and make sure his dad knew how much it was hurting him but... His dad was awesome. His dad needed someone who wasn't such a freak or drama queen. Someone who knew when games were on and who was the favorite. Someone who enjoyed doing the rough and tumble outdoorsy stuff without freaking about their hair-care. (Hey, Kurt liked nature as much as the next guy's but after twelve days of hiking and no soap, Kurt wanted it to be over. It was a great trip though. Kurt even managed to catch the biggest fish much to the annoyance of his dad and his fishing buddies. He actually wanted to back next year and hopefully he would find some cleaning products that didn't really need water for the trip.)

Kurt smiled at the customer, who had just come in with a 1997 Toyota Camry, while he tried to ignore the laughter that hurt him as much as any knife through the heart. "Hello and welcome. How can I help you, today?"

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

"...so then I told her that maybe if she wasn't such a skank she might be able to pull that off." Mercedes said excitedly to her friend as they walked through the halls of their 'beloved' high school.

"That's great." Kurt replied very lackluster. After going home from the garage last night, Kurt felt even worse. His stomach had started churning and it still hadn't settle completely. He felt nauseous and more than a little out of sorts. He just couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness after seeing how happy his dad had been the other night with Finn.

He had watched his dad teach Finn how to do basic maintenance on the cars coming in as well as oil changes. The whole time Kurt was there, all his dad did was nod hello and turn back to the boy-who-would-be-his-son. It was a punch in the gut as far as Kurt was concerned. Before, Burt would have been next to him working on the same car just to spend some time with him even though Kurt could take apart and put together most of the cars that came through the garage in his sleep. Now, not even a "hello" or "how was your day?" was offered. Was he losing his dad because he had set him up with Carole? Kurt could understand wanting to make Finn more at ease the transition but wasn't completely ignoring Kurt taking it a little too far? Shouldn't his dad also be worried about what Kurt felt about having a new person trying to take over his mom's spot in his home? Or had Kurt given up the right for comfort when he introduced the two of them?

"What's up with the 'tude, baby boy?" Mercedes said as she sat down in Glee next to him.

Kurt sighed. He didn't want to get into his issues at all, much less in a room full of people who knew Finn and might leak his moment of insecurity to the jock. "Just didn't get my beauty sleep and it put my whole day off. Not to mention the jock squad was in top form this morning."

Mercedes shook her head in disgust. The tormenting had stopped for a little while right after Puck had joined Glee, but apparently the jocks had found a new king of the bullies and it had started again, worse than before.

Kurt zoned out as he watched the rest of his club mates coming in the door. The club had changed since Mr. Schuester became the teacher in charge. There were more people and the school was more aware of their little group. That didn't mean that they were more popular than before, but at least there were more people. Considering the competition they had for regionals, any decent singers were really helpful.

In glee now, the jocks were mixing with the geeks, leading to some very weird groupings. The singing so far did not suffer because of the additions so Kurt was hopeful that the new members would just help add some much need variety to the group. As much as he liked glee before, he knew that they were a little prone to showboating and musicals. The new members seemed to enjoy more modern hits and created a different feel for the group.

Three of the new guys (Puck, Mike and Matt) had just walked in, probably talking about sports of some kind. The weirdest addition was really Noah 'Puck' Puckerman. Who would have thought the Jew-jock would give up some of his popularity just to sing? Not that he wasn't talented, but Puck just didn't seem like the type of person who would go against the crowd.

No, he was more like the type of person who would push the crowd to new and frightening heights, before ever thinking of taking a step back and saying what they were doing was wrong. Not that he changed that much. The slushies were still part of his routine and if he could fit in a dumpster dive or two he was totally for it but Puck was a Glee member though... A hot one at that.

Mike was kind of cool. He was on the quieter side, as far as singing, but he could dance better than most of the guys. Especially when it came to break dancing. He had a fluidity that most of the guys did not get. Heck, some of the girls probably would have trouble with the moves that Mike did.

Matt was still up in the air. He did not speak much, but when he did, he was pretty cool. He could dance, but that was all Kurt really knew about him. He seemed like the typical jock, but he hadn't bothered Kurt since he joined Glee.

Right after the trio, Finn came strolling in with Rachel by this side. It seemed pretty cold that Rachel had pushed her way to Finn's side even when he was dating Quinn but since the very advertised break up, the pair hadn't started to date each other, yet. Heidi Klum, if they ever reproduced they would have the dumbest, most stuck up babies with no fashion sense.

Kurt shook his head. He knew he was being unfair especially since he used to have a huge crush on Finn for not so long. But after having dealt with the jock in his house, Kurt did not feel so forgiving anymore. He might be cute and extremely friendly but that's where the wonderfulness ended for Finn. He had no depth. The adorable cluelessness of some of his statements started becoming more and more ridiculous statements of stupidity. The shy helpless smile that had made Kurt at one time feel like rescuing Finn now seemed like a default setting on the tall jock whenever he was the least bit confused. Honestly, some days it seemed like it was Finn's only facial expression. Also, Finn was trying to steal Kurt's dad away.

Gucci, Kurt felt bitchy today. Maybe he shouldn't have had that extra coffee on the way to school. The caffeine crashes were especially rough if he hadn't had enough sleep... Then again he only had the extra coffee when he hadn't slept enough. There might be a pattern there.

Mr. Schu walked in excitedly. "Okay, guys. I have noticed that we have had some tension in the group for a while."

Kurt rolled his eyes. Tension, what tension? Baby-gate, the Finn-Rachel saga, Finn taking his dad, the Finn-Puck fight, the Rachel-Quinn hatred, the Puck-is-dick-problem or general teen drama? Which of these had finally gotten Mr. Schu's attention? This room seemed like a powder keg of tension most days.

"So I want to do an exercise where we do a Secret Santa like project except instead of presents you have to sing a song for the person you picked. Since someone stole my hat," Mr. Schu glared at the students as he picked up a cardboard box from behind him, "you are going to grab a name from the box."

The saddest part was that it looked like Mr. Schu had tried to decorate the box to make it more exciting. There seemed to be a little glitter on it and some wrapping paper trying to give it some color. Kurt almost felt like he should grab the box and fix it for the oddly sweet Spanish teacher. "You will be performing the songs starting next week and the rest of the group will try and guess who the song is for."

Kurt sat there praying to a God that he didn't believe existed that Finn's name would not be the one he pulled out of the box. He would take Rachel or even Puck over Finn.

Mr. Schu went from student to student with the box. He started with Mercedes, who looked excited about who she had gotten so Kurt was sure it was either him, Artie or Tina. Next was Artie, who looked relieved. Then it was Kurt's turn at the box. Kurt picked out a slip of paper and slowly opened it to see who he had for the "Secret Santa."

Thank Marc Jacobs, he thought. It was Puck. Okay, so it wasn't his first choice but at least he wouldn't want to sing something horribly bitchy about lower IQ or something. Kurt shook his head. He really needed to stop these awful thoughts about Finn. Cindy Crawford, did he need this day to end. Mr. Schu continued to talk about new song challenge and how it would be important in the long run for team spirit. Kurt thought that it might help him win back some brownie points after he purposely messed up 'Defying Gravity' so that was good. Okay, so no one in Glee knew that he had purposely messed up the song but he wanted to get his spot back as one of the better singers in the group. He had lost that spot after he had messed up the song. To Kurt's annoyance, Finn was now the golden boy of the group.

As he started to pack up to go home, Finn came up next to Kurt. "Hey man, I'm kind of excited about this new song thing. I think Mr. Schu's right. It would be good for the group if was let some of this drama go. I mean, if we act more like a team we might be able to win sectionals next year."

Kurt froze for a second. "Yeah, it sounds great." Kurt said as sarcastically sweet as he could.

It must have gone over Finn's head since he smiled widely at Kurt. "Hey, maybe we can work on it together since I'm coming over to watch the game with Burt tonight."

Kurt winced. That's what he needed. Another bonding moment between Burt and Finn where he was totally ignored.

"Actually, I'm busy tonight. I have other plans. Maybe some other time." Kurt said quickly as he thought of some excuse out of what promised to be a painful afternoon. Luckily Finn didn't ask for any details because Kurt really couldn't think of anything off the top of his head.

The smile dropped from Finn's face. "Oh, okay. I'll see you later." Finn turned and walked out the door looking a little downtrodden.

Kurt shook his head. He didn't know what to do now. He couldn't go home since Finn would know he lied and he knew Mercedes was having a family night so her place was out. He walked to his car as he pondered. Throwing his bag in the seat next to him, Kurt decided that maybe a drive was exactly what he needed. Even when he was a little kid, Kurt always felt better when he was riding in a car. Even if it was for a five minute drive around the neighborhood, Kurt felt his worries slowly fade away. It was probably something to do with the soft vibrations from the engine but Kurt never really got over the soothing feeling that he got when he was in a car and he wasn't going to question it since he didn't want to loose one of his few comforts.

As he drove around, Kurt tried to curtail his jealousy over Finn. It wasn't as if the other boy was doing it on purpose but Finn was stealing the spot light. He didn't want to be upset but Finn was so much more like the guy he should have been. The one that his dad had probably wanted. A son who could be like a new shiny version of Burt's younger self rather than Kurt whose only really shared interest with his dad was cars.

As he drove, Kurt started to felt famished. He noticed the bright neon sign saying Barb's on the roadside. Kurt loved Barb's though he rarely ate there between worrying about his dad's health and his friends continuously being off and on diets. Maybe a slice of homemade apple pie would cure what ails him. Especially, if it was followed by a chocolate sundae.

Spirits slightly renewed, Kurt almost bounced into Barb's and sat down at a booth in the back. Barb's had been the place where his mom had taken him when he was little. They would share stories and tell jokes until it was time to meet up with his dad after he was done at the shop. They kept it a well-known secret from his dad. Well-known since Kurt would usually slip up and tell his dad where they had been a few hours after he had been swore to secrecy. The diner had some very good memories and some bittersweet ones, too.

As he was looking at the menu for a suitable entree before his two desserts, a familiar voice reached his ear. "Hey Hummel, what are you doing here?"


	2. Chapter 2

Edited by I AM AIR

* * *

Kurt looked up to see Puck staring down at him with a smile. A slightly evil and naughty smile that normally would have made Kurt want to run out of the diner but, right now, hunger won out. He could deal with whatever the teenaged hooligan could throw at him as long as he had food.

"Hello Puck. I'm trying to eat, can't you tell?" Kurt said turning back to the menu. With any luck Puck would, go away.

However, this was not a lucky day for Kurt, so of course, Puck went to the seat opposite him and sat down. "Yeah, but where's the little squad you travel with? Aren't you and Aretha attached at the hip?"

Kurt stressed his friend's name as he answered Puck. "Mercedes is with her family tonight." He said, trying to keep his answers direct and to the point. If he was boring enough, Puck might leave. He knew that the main reason the Puck mocked him was due to strong reactions he had to the teasing. It was hard not to respond. Puck seemed to know his buttons better than anyone else. It was kind of amazing how well his tormentor knew him.

Just as Puck was about to say something, the waitress came up. It was actually the owner of the establishment who loved to know everyone's business. She wasn't a mean gossip but she said that she like to make sure that her customers felt like she really cared. If that meant that she heard every bit of unsubstantiated rumor that came through the diner door, well, she would just be kind enough to listen.

The forty something year old woman smiled widely at Puck before looking at Kurt. "Now, what can I get for you two darlings?"

Puck smiled softly at the woman. It was a facial expression Kurt had never seen on the crude jock before. It could almost be called fond if it was on someone else. "I'll have the usual if you don't mind, Barb."

Kurt stared at the bizarre scene in front of him. Puck was being well manners and almost human. Shaking his head, he ordered. "I'll have the country fried chicken with white gravy, mashed potatoes, and dumplings on the side. Also, can I have a piece of apple pie and a sundae?" Kurt began kicking his feet slightly over the wonderful food he had just ordered. He could almost taste the mash potatoes in his mouth already.

Barb laughed happily. "I love it when I get customers who know how to eat. I'll be back with the suppers in a minute. Now, do either of you want anything to drink?"

"Chocolate milk." They both said at the same time. Each was shocked by the other's answer. Kurt was amazed that he had anything in common with the jock across from him. Okay, there was glee and football but Kurt knew the reasons for those two similarities were very different. For Puck, both were mostly for showboating. For Kurt, Glee was for enjoyment and football was for his dad.

Barb wrote down their answers with a smile. "No wonder you two bottomless pits are friends. Do you want your desserts now, hun, or later?"

Kurt broke from his staring contest with Puck to look at the jovial woman. "Later would be fine. Thank you."

She laughed. "Such a polite young man." She said as she walked away.

As soon as Barb was out of earshot, Kurt snarled at Puck. "One of your pool cougars?"

Puck smirked as he leant back. "Everyone wants a piece of the Puck."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You know, you are even more annoying in third person."

"Oh come on, Hummel. You just want a piece, too. And that's okay, you can look but no touch. Cause not so much with the gay here." Puck said seemly polite.

Kurt shook his head at the blatant display of ego. "Please, I like my men more refined."

Puck snorted. "Dude, you were panting over Finn. He isn't any more refined than I am."

Kurt straightened up when he heard 'Finn.' He hissed at Puck. "First of all, I am not a dude and will not be called that. Second, I might have had a little crush on Finn but that is long over. Third, a monkey could be more refined than you."

Puck laughed. "Whoa there, princess. Just calm down. Everyone knows about the thing you have...had for Finn. It's old news."

Kurt flushed. He didn't know he was that transparent about his lust for the quarterback. Seriously, if Puck could figure it out then the whole school must have known.

There was a few minutes of awkward silence at the table since this was one of the first times they had ever talked outside of complete necessity. It was weird that the tormentor was sitting with the tormented. Or at least, the mostly former tormentor.

"So why are you sitting here, Puck?" Kurt asked, finally getting annoyed with the silence.

Puck shrugged. "Barb's gets pretty full about now so I didn't want to waste a table."

Kurt was a little surprise. "That's actually considerate."

"I can be nice if I want to, Hummel." Puck said a little embarrassed.

Any other conversation was stalled by Barb coming to the table with their food. As Barb laid out the food, Kurt discovered that Puck's dinner was much healthier than his. He had what looked like grilled fish and two serving of veggies on the side.

Barb smiled as she placed the two chocolate milks down. "Now, if you need anything else just wave me down."

"Thanks, Barb." Puck said as he put his napkin on his lab and took a sip of his drink. "You're the best."

"Noah, you snake charmer." She laughed as she walked away.

Puck turned to Kurt. "That woman is awesome."

Kurt just shook his head and stared to wolf down his meal. When he was half way done, he glanced up to see Puck look at him with horror.

"What?" Kurt said as he took a quick sip of milk.

"Hummel, I have seen a lot of dudes eat but you are definitely one of the most disgusting." Puck said as he look at how much Kurt had eaten compared to him.

Kurt looked at Puck's plate and was surprised to see most of it still there. The first items gone were actually the veggies. It looked like the teen was some kind of health nut.

"My dad eats like every meal is his last so I kind of picked the habit up." Kurt said, suddenly shy about how he was acting.

Puck took a bite of his fish before replying. "I've seen you eat at school and it's nothing like that."

Kurt took a large cut of chicken and stuffed it in his mouth. He finished chewing just in time to reply. "Yeah but that's little girlie food. I eat that stuff at school to stop the girls from getting mad at me for my metabolism. It's not my fault that I can eat almost anything and not gain weight but try to explain that to a girl who is on a diet. They can get very mean very quickly when they are hungry. Also, the first and only time I ate like I normally do in front of Mercedes, she kept on looking at me like I was crazy."

"Aretha might be in the right here." Puck said laughing.

Kurt pretended to be insulted but was actually enjoying the back and forth with Puck. "Also, Barb's food is amazing."

Puck nodded and swiped some of Kurt's chicken. Before Kurt could say anything, Puck claimed it by licking some of the gravy off. "Delicious."

"Hey! That's mine." Kurt tried not to laugh at the childishness of licking food as a method of claiming it. Kurt could remember doing the same thing to cupcakes when he was in kindergarden. His mom was not as impressed as Kurt thought she should be by his ingenious plan. Hey, it worked.

Puck smiled and held it out for Kurt. "Do you want it back?"

Kurt grimaced. "Marc Jacobs, no. It's totally infected with Puck-cooties. I don't want to know what I could catch."

Puck placed the chicken on his plate and started cutting it up. "I win."

Barb walked up to the table to ask if they needed anything else.

Kurt put on his sweetest smile. "Puck stole my dinner so I'm still starving. Could I get some chicken strips?"

Barb turned to Puck and tsked. "Noah, if you were still hungry I would have gotten you more food. You don't have to steal from your friend. He looks like he barely eats as it is."

Puck sputtered as he tried to come up with an explanation. It did not help that he could see Kurt smirking in the corner of his eye.

Barb turned back to Kurt, who had the lost puppy dog face back on. He knew how to play the victim when needed. It didn't hurt that most women felt like they compelled to feed and protect him since he looked so skinny and fragile. "I'll get them right out for you, hun."

Kurt kept a straight face on for a few seconds after Barb left before he started laughing. "Your face was priceless."

Puck groaned. "You're evil, man."

"I know." Kurt said with a smile.

The rest of the night past quickly. The pair exchanged some interesting insults and talked about their annoyances with some of their Glee members. Rachel seemed to be a topic of much distain on both sides.

Kurt glanced at his phone and saw it read 9:30. He was shocked that he had been at the diner that long, especially with Puck. "Oh Tyra Banks, I have to go." He grabbed some money out of his wallet and placed it on the table.

Puck looked at the money and glanced back at Kurt. "Hey, you totally over paid for your half."

Kurt blinked for a second. He was so used to playing the whole bill for his friends that he was taken aback by Puck's remark. "It's fine. Just give me back the change later. Or better yet give it to Barb." Kurt packed up his things quickly and put on his jacket.

Before Kurt could leave the table, he felt a hand on his arm. He glanced up to see Puck looking at him oddly. "I had a good time tonight, Hummel. You're not too bad to hang out with."

Kurt was in shock. For as worried as he had been at the beginning of the night, he had actually enjoyed himself in Puck's company. "I could say the same for you, Puck. See you tomorrow." Kurt said as the hand fell away.

"Whatever." Puck said as he turned back to the table.

Kurt ran out of the diner to his car.

His dad was going to be furious when he got home. He hadn't called to say he was going to be out and he didn't tell his dad where he was going. Plus, his dad wanted him home by nine-ish most school nights to make sure his homework was done. He knew that he was usual more responsible than this but he didn't want his dad to think that he was trying to misbehave. Honestly, he hadn't meant to be out this long at all.

He drove back as quickly as possible, while still keeping an eye out for cops so he didn't get a ticket. With his luck today, it could totally happen. As he pulled into the drive way, he saw that Finn's car was still there. Kurt walked into his house quietly as the sounds of the TV roaring reached his ears. Dropping his things by the door, he followed the noise.

Burt and Finn were yelling at the screen. The game was in overtime and both men were on their feet. Kurt watched as a kicker made the goal much to the glee of his father and Finn. Burt swung an arm over Finn's shoulders for a bro hug when he noticed his son in the doorway.

Burt smiled at Kurt. "Sorry, Kurt. I guess we were being too loud and interrupted you."

Kurt was confused. His dad hadn't noticed him being gone all night? "Actually, I ju..."

Kurt was interrupted by Finn. "It was a great game. Thanks for having me over."

Burt patted Finn on the back as he showed him to the door. "Anytime. Say hi to your mom and tell her I'm sorry I kept you so late."

Finn smiled. "Will do. Night." Finn opened the door and left.

Burt turned to face Kurt after Finn's exit. "Good kid. The game was amazing but I can't say that after a full day of work, all the excitement didn't get to me. I think I'll hit the sack. I'll see you in the morning. Night."

The elder Hummel went to his room without noticing his son watching him with a puzzled sad look on his face. An expression that didn't leave Kurt for quite a while after Burt fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Edited by I AM Air

* * *

Kurt felt horrible. It was the second night in a row that he had nearly no sleep. The pain he felt from his father completely forgetting about him was unbearable and keep flooding in his dreams whenever he actually fell asleep. The worry that his dad would leave him was so painful that it caused him to wake right back up. He had been the center of his dad's world for so long and now he wasn't even a blip on the radar. He didn't know what to do to get back to the way they were. Well, he could kill Finn but he was sure that would just make his dad more upset since his son would then be a murderer. Plus, Kurt didn't think even he could pull off that orange jumpsuit with style.

To make thing worse, today was football practice and as much as the coach tried to control the other players, a few of them still griped about Kurt being on the team. He usually had to be on his toes to make sure he didn't get hit 'by accident.' The fact that he gave snobbish replies to their asinine humor probably didn't help matters either.

He took the back way that detoured around the dumpster into the school. He didn't take it often because he didn't want the jocks to catch on that he had another way in incase he really need the break from the torture like he needed today. He quickly made it to his locker without looking too suspicious when he felt a big hand land on his shoulder.

Kurt jumped and turned to face his attacker bracing himself for the beating he was going to get for escaping the dumpster dive today. Much to his chagrin, Puck was standing in front of him with a mixture of amusement and alarm on his face. Kurt pushed Puck away from him.

"Idina Menzel! Don't do that!" Kurt turned back to his locker trying to save face. He knew Puck would probably never let him live his little jump and scream down, but Kurt felt okay with turning his back to the other glee member. Puck hadn't thrown Kurt into the dumpster in quite a while so he was pretty sure that he was safe with Puck behind also long as he didn't do anything to anger the larger jock.

"That's a new one. And why are you so jumpy this morning? Too much crack in the morning cup of coffee?" Puck asked leaning up against the lockers next to Kurt.

Kurt shook his head. "I can't handle alcohol, so of course I would jump right to extremely illegal substance. That makes perfect sense."

Puck shrugged and pulled out some money from his pocket. "Here's the extra money from last night."

Kurt made no move to take the money. He just looked at it oddly. He was sure he would never get it back and that hadn't really bothered him. "I told you to give it to Barb."

Puck narrowed his eyes. "I gave her a good tip from what you left. Anymore and she might start liking you more than me. I know that's hard to believe but not everyone knows you're as queer as a two dollar bill."

Kurt smiled. That had to be the nicest way Puck had ever mentioned him being gay. How odd was that? "What, can't handle the competition?"

Puck shoved the money into Kurt's locker and started walking away. "Have you seen these guns, Hummel? You're not even in the running."

Kurt laughed softly at the jock's retreating back. The boy had enough ego for the whole school. It was no wonder that he did so poorly academically. He didn't have any more room in his skull for learning.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

The rest of the day wasn't so terrible for Kurt. Anytime he felt a little down, he reached for the money that Puck had given him that morning. While it didn't make it all better, the fact that he might have found a new friend made the evil black cloud of losing his dad have a microscopic silver lining. Maybe this new friendship would even lead to the other jocks picking on him less. That would of course mean that Puck would have to acknowledge him in public, which probably wouldn't happen anytime soon. Kurt really wasn't holding his breath for that one.

One of the main problems was dealing with Mercedes. His friend was a little too observant when it came to his up and downs, but didn't understand that sometimes he just didn't want to talk about it. Hey, he might be gay but he still was a guy. Also, since most of her solutions involved violence and there really wasn't anyone to beat up (except maybe Finn) she really couldn't help. Her constant nagging that day had already made him look forward to football practice where she couldn't follow him... Well, she could, but he was sure that the coach would kick her out...eventually. Mercedes Jones was a very hard person to say no to.

Kurt almost ran to football practice and quickly changed his clothes. He learned early on that the quicker he was out of the locker room, the better it was for him. He had already put on his tights when most of the team came through the doors. Finn was leading the way for the first time in a long time.

"The game was so awesome, dude." One of the football players said excitedly.

Kurt rolled his eyes. True, he was on the team but that didn't mean that all he wanted to hear about the other games. Though, he wasn't completely sure they were talking about football. That was the only sport on in January, right?

Finn chimed in. "Yeah and did you see that last minute field goal? It was awesome."

Wow, do high school boys have a great repertoire of words? Kurt thought as he put on his pads.

"The best part is last night I got to see it on a widescreen TV in full high def. It was so clear you could see the blades of grass." Finn continued.

Kurt paused from putting on his padding.

Berry, one of the nicer football players, asked, "Your mom got a new TV? Dude, we are totally comin' over."

Kurt saw Finn shaking his head. "Naww. I was over at my mom's boyfriends place. He has an awesome setup."

Berry answered back, "Isn't she dating that Hummel kid's dad?"

Finn looked away with something that seemed like embarrassment. "Yeah but his dad's a really cool guy. He watches sports, is into cars and even gave me a beer last night."

One of the other guys piped in, "I wish my old man was like that. Too bad Hummel turned out the way he did."

There was a general moan of agreement in the room pitying Burt Hummel for his messed up kid.

Kurt couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed his jersey and ran out to the field. He didn't need to hear how awful of a son he was. He knew he didn't know much about sports but he took care of his dad. He made sure Burt ate right and got enough sleep. He had even setup his dad with a woman Burt really liked. Okay, so Kurt did that to get closer to Finn but still Burt was happy with Carole. He wasn't a horrible son.

Kurt pulled himself together as he saw the rest of the football team come out. He was a little happy that Finn look at him sheepishly. Finn probably figured out that he did something wrong, just not what yet. Not that Kurt was going to tell him. No, Finn could just rub those two brain cells together until he came up with the right answer.

Kurt moved in front of the punter's net and started to stretch. He wasn't even in the mood to hear Beyonce right now. If he had a choice, he would drop football all together but he kept on remembering how proud his dad was when he scored the winning kick. It might be one way back into his dad's graces and he wasn't going to give that up.

Luckily, Coach Tanaka was too busy ripping the rest of the team a new one for lousy performances in prior games to notice Kurt was not really working to his full potential. It didn't really matter since Coach Tanaka gave Kurt a lot of leeway since he was worried one wrong word and he would lose his punter.

As Kurt watched the rest of the team practice, he noticed that some of his teammates were actually pretty good. As far as the quarterback, Finn could hold his own but Puck was a much better at reacting to changes in the game. As much as Kurt hated Karofsky and Azimio, they were great linebackers. Okay so maybe a little of the football Kurt had seen throughout the years had actually stuck but he also knew the few good players did not out weigh the many horrible ones. That was probably why they were just above completely sucking.

Kurt signaled to the coach that he was going to go and take his shower before the rest of the guys were done. It had been Kurt's idea since he didn't want to get beat up for looking at one of the guys while they were not fully dress. Though, he wouldn't touch any of them with a ten foot pole.

Today, it also meant that he didn't have to listen to Finn go on about how awesome his dad was. He already knew how amazing of a dad Burt was. It was one of the reasons why he was so jealous of Finn taking over his spot.

If he timed it right, Kurt might not even see Finn for the rest of the night which would brighten his day. Friday night was usually Kurt and his dad's night to watch bad TV together and talk about their weeks. After the last few days, he just needed some time with his dad.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

When Kurt got back to his place, he was practically vibrating with excitement in his seat from the sight of his dad's car was already parked in the garage. He grabbed his bag and walked into the house. He found his dad in the kitchen grabbing a beer.

"Hey, kid. How's it going?" Burt asked with a smile.

Kurt tryed to suppress the urge to bounce on his toes. "Pretty good. I DVR-ed last week's extreme makeover and some old John Wayne movie for tonight."

Burt frowned slightly. "Yeah, about that Kurt. Finn asked me if I could look over his car with him tonight. After he came to the garage, he was wondering if we could tweak it at all to run smoother. It'll only take a few hours."

Kurt tried not to show how much the cancellation bothered him. He quickly moved to the fridge and pretended to look for food. "Yeah, that's fine. Maybe tomorrow."

Kurt turned in time to see Burt lightly wince. He realized tomorrow was out, too.

"I'm going out with Carole tomorrow. She wants to see some chick flick." Burt said, "But maybe some time next week."

Kurt smiled as widely as he could considering how upset he was. "No big deal, dad. Since you're busy tonight, I'll just go to Mercedes and get a manicure."

Burt smiled in relief. "Good. Tell her hi for me."

Kurt grabbed an apple and headed for the door. "Bye dad. Have a great night..." Kurt said as he walked out of the house. When he sat behind the wheel of his baby, he finally said "...with your new son."


	4. Chapter 4

Edited by I AM AIR

* * *

Kurt sulked in his car as he drove around town. There was no way he was going to Mercedes since she would pry all the details about what was going on out of him, but by saying her name he got an all night pass to be out late. He knew it wasn't right and could bite him in the butt later, but for right now he just wanted to mope.

As he was passing Barb's diner, he saw a familiar beat up pick-up in the back. Turning around, he parked and cautiously walked in. He knew that the football team sometimes hung out together and he didn't want to be anywhere near most of them at school much less during his free time. But if Puck was there alone, it would at least pass some time bantering with the other boy until he went home.

He looked to see the place completely packed. It wasn't a surprise as Barb's was the town favorite eatery 15 years running. As he craned his head around the corner to see if the football team was there, Barb's voice came from behind him.

"You're Noah's friend from last night." Barb said with a smile.

Kurt blushed lightly as he turned to face Barb. He had hoped not to get noticed but apparently his sleuthing skills needed work. "Yes, ma'am."

Barb smiled. "Well, he's not up there. He's in the back lounging. I'll take you back."

Kurt hung his head like a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar but followed Barb anyway. They went through the kitchen to what looked like a break room. Puck was sitting there flirting with one of the bakers.

"Noah, look who I found up front trying to find you." Barb said as she pushed Kurt towards the table. "I'll get you a menu so you can eat something. You're completely skin and bones."

Kurt blushed a little deeper. Great, now not only was he bad at sneaking around, he couldn't feed himself and Puck knew he was looking for him. He might never live this down.

Puck looked to see Kurt meekly standing in the doorway and started laughing. "I knew you wanted to replace me, but coming two nights in a row? Seriously, Hummel, you got to let them miss you a little."

The petite baker laughed. "You're here almost every night, Puck. We can't get rid of you." She was older, about Barb's age, but clearly enjoyed the flirty nature Puck had.

"Oh Sally, you wound me." He said dramatically covering his heart. He then wiggled his eyebrow. "Want to kiss it and make it all better."

Sally laughed and walked away. "I'm done with my break. Are you sure you can cover for me tonight?"

Puck nodded. "No problem. Have fun with the husband and kids."

Kurt looked at Puck in amusement. It seemed like Barb's was an extra-dimensional portal where Puck was actually human-like. He was kind and considerate. It was a weird side to see from the school horn-dog.

"Pull up a chair and tell me what you're doing here on a Friday night." Puck said as he pushed a chair out for Kurt with his feet.

Kurt daintily sat on the vinyl fold-up chair. "I could be asking you the same question. The Puckasaurus doesn't have plans on a Friday night?"

Puck shrugged and folded his arms over his chest. "Ever since baby-gate not too many girls are willing to check out the action." Puck smirks, "The curse of strong swimmers."

Kurt shook his head. There was a wonderful image. Puck's little sperms swimming to an egg. It was almost enough never to have sex, ever.

"Eww. Thanks for that image." Kurt said as he looked around.

The kitchen was clean, if not a little cluttered. It had the feel of well used and well loved materials. Kurt started to relax, because it almost felt like being in his dad's shop with all the tools of the car trade surrounding him. It felt like this was really a place where people came because they enjoyed the work and not just because they needed the pay.

"So you never answered my question." Puck said as he watched Kurt.

Kurt looked at Puck, who looked like he belonged in the back of the kitchen. Heck, Puck made it look like he belonged wherever he went. Kurt knew he gave off a cold wave of indifference around most people making himself seem snobbish but Puck's devil-may-care attitude worked much better around most people. They seemed to flock to him even with the crude comments and lack of manners. "Didn't feel like dealing with my dad or the questions from Mercedes so here I am."

Puck nodded as if he is agreeing but seemed a little unfocused on the conversation. "This calls for food. I'm starved, man and since Barb thinks you're anorexic, you should eat, too."

Kurt was confused by the change of topic until he smelt the freshly baked bread wafting in. "Good idea but won't Barb get mad if we don't tell her what we want."

Puck moved to a rack holding aprons and took two out. He put one on and handed the other to Kurt. "Maybe but maybe not."

Puck took out a bandana from his pocket and tied it on his head as he moved to the kitchen. Kurt took off his designer jacket and draped it over the back of his seat before putting the white apron on. At least, white went with most of what he was wearing that day.

Kurt watched from just inside the kitchen doorway as Puck navigated his way through the tricky kitchen. He picked up pieces here and there, and then started to cook on the stove closest to Kurt. Kurt was mesmerized. Sure, he cooked for his dad and himself but Puck seemed so into the moment of cooking. It was like something out of a cooking show. A few minutes later, Puck took his creation off the stove and moved to grill the chicken.

Kurt's mouth was watering by the time Puck was done. It looked delicious.

There was a soft laughter next to Kurt. Barb had been standing there watching Kurt watch Puck. "He is something to watch when he's like that. He doesn't do it often mostly because he doesn't want the cooks to get upset but he has a knack for it."

Kurt turned to Barb. "How much do we owe you for dinner?"

Barb smiled. "Hun, Noah's been eating for free here for years. His mom and I are old friends. I used to babysit him sometimes and he has always loved this kitchen. If you want to pay anyone, give it to Noah. Such a good kid, helping out here for extra money for his mom. Good worker, too."

Puck looked up suspiciously at the pair as he put the veggies on the plates. Kurt shook his head and turned back to Barb. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Oh hun, call me Barb and if you'll excuse me, I have people up front dying of hunger." Barb moved past Kurt and grabbed a few plates of food to serve up.

Puck motioned Kurt closer and pushed one of the plates towards him. The plate had grilled chicken with what seemed to be a honey dressing. It looked like it should have been on the cover of a cookbook.

The pair went back to their table in the back where Puck immediately started eating. For a few minutes, Kurt just watched. Maybe, there was more to Puck than a dumb jock.

"I realize that you might not understand this but you have to eat the food. It doesn't magically get into your stomach no matter how much fairy dust you use." Puck had laughter in his eyes as he spoke.

And then again maybe not.

Kurt glared at Puck but started to eat his dinner. From the first bite, Kurt thought it was the best thing he had ever eaten. Kurt gasped lightly.

Puck smirked. "Got some of my meat in your mouth and you get all orgasmy. God, you're gay, Hummel."

Kurt blushed deeply. He didn't have a reply for that. "Shut up, Puck."

"Aww, the princess is all hot and bothered." Puck said as he ate another bite.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Both enjoying the delicious food. "So how did you learn to cook?" Kurt said as he finished his main course.

Puck looked at him for a few seconds before answering. "My mom worked a lot of long nights when I was little, so I started cooking for me and my sister."

"Oh." Kurt said. He wasn't completely expecting a real answer.

Puck smiled a little. "Bet you weren't expecting that." Kurt shook his head. "Told ya I could be nice if I wanted to." Puck smirked as he started on the veggies.

Kurt watched Puck for the rest of the night as if he had never seen the boy before. In a way, he hadn't. Puck was still flirty with any... well, any woman at all, but it seemed out of sorts with what he learned today. Puck could be as considerate as he was a pig. Puck also seemed just as loud and brash as always but Kurt found it funny rather than crass. Maybe it really wasn't Puck that had changed but Kurt finally being able to see past the egoist mask that the boy had on most days.

A little while after they finished eating, Puck took their plates and started to do the dishes. Not just theirs but seemingly all the dishes for the diner. Kurt watched for a while before trying to help Puck with the clean up. All Kurt got for his offer was a deep growl from Puck. Putting his hands up in defeat, Kurt leaned back and giggled as Puck started to sing dirty limericks as he cleaned. It was a weird but calming way to spend a Friday night.

Barb kicked the pair out somewhere near eleven o'clock saying that they should find something better than loiter in her kitchen on a Friday night. Kurt knew he was pushing it as far as curfew went but amazingly he wanted to hang out with Puck for a while longer. The jock wasn't so bad when he wasn't acting like a complete ass.

Kurt started to move towards his car. He turned back to see Puck head over to his pick up.

"Well, I'll see." Puck said as he got in his truck and took off.

"Yeah, see ya." Kurt said as he got into his car. Unlike the night before, he was in no rush to get home. He was sure no one would notice him coming up home late if they were half as involved in fixing Finn's car as they were in the game last night. Anyway with an excuse like Mercedes, his dad wouldn't even ask what they were up to. Most of the time, Kurt could see his dad's eyes glaze over when he tried to tell him about what had happened at her house. Kurt didn't really take it personally because he knew he did the same thing when his dad started talking about some football game that he had watched when he was in his teens. Both of the Hummels knew when to just sit back and nod at the appropriate times to keep the peace.

He went half way up the driveway and stopped because Finn's car was in his normal spot. He wasn't that upset since it was necessary for the car to be in garage to get a good look at what was wrong. Kurt, however, couldn't say that he was happy about it either. He walked up to Finn and Burt, who were leaning under the hood still.

"Hey guys." Kurt said holding his bag close to him.

Burt looked up and smiled. "Hey, Kurt. You're back. How was your night?"

Kurt smiled widely. "It was pretty good."

Burt looked a little confused. "Your manicure was that much fun was it."

Kurt's smile faltered for a second. "Yes, it was."

Burt smiled. "You know your mom loved her days off. She would always call some of her friend and do mini spa days, too."

Kurt flushed. Finn was standing right next to his dad looking just as uncomfortable as he was.

Kurt plastered a smile on. "I'm exhausted though so I'll see you tomorrow. Night. Go to bed soon." Kurt gave his dad a hug mindful of the grease on his overalls.

Burt hugged him back. "Night, kid."

Kurt went down to his bedroom and put his things down. He started to take off the layers of makeup he always used and looked at himself. His dad always said that he looked like his mom. Most of the time Kurt could see it. But right now he saw his dad's chin, his dad's hands, his dad's forehead and even his dad's eyes. So maybe he did look more delicate than his dad, but he knew if he was really that soft, the almost daily dumpster dives would have destroyed him. If he was really that weak, he wouldn't be able to tell off the dumb jocks who jerked him around all the time. If he was really that fragile, he wouldn't be able to give up his dream to sing Defying Gravity at sectionals just to save his dad some grief over his son being gay. So why didn't his dad see himself in his son?

Kurt shook his head. No, he was stronger than that. He wasn't going to cry over something like this. He was stronger than that. He was a Hummel.

Kurt's phone buzzed. He reached into his bag and grabbed his always stylish iPhone. There was a message from a number he didn't know. Curious, he opened it.

"Princess U 4got ur coat. school mday"

Kurt's eyes widened. Cheese on a stick. He loved that coat. He had had it for years and it finally was perfectly sized.

Kurt texted back a little cheeky. "Thank you, Noah."

An instant later another message appeared saying "Puck Princess Puck."

Kurt smiled. "I'll use your name when you use mine."

The next post was a simple "W/E"

Kurt looked up at the mirror at his smile. It was a happy smile. Weird that he could smile when he was so hurt. He looked at the rest of his skin care regiment waiting to be begun and then his bed. Missing out on one day couldn't hurt that much could it?

He got up from his vanity, changed into his comfiest PJs, and got under his sheets. He had placed his phone next to the head of the bed as he always did and started charging it. Looking at the number on the phone, he put a name to it. "Noah."


	5. Chapter 5

Edited by I AM AIR

* * *

Kurt awoke smiling. Considering the last three days or the last few years, that was quite surprising. He climbed out of bed and shook his head at the bottles of skin care products he should have used last night. Just because he was having a moment of weakness did not mean he should have tortured his skin.

He went through his morning routine, putting extra emphasis on moisturizing hoping that his skin would forgiving him. He finished his skin care routine and donned a robe over his PJs. He had decided that he was going to seize the morning and try to have a nice breakfast with his dad.

He opened the door from his room to the sound of bacon frying. Kurt smiled. Apparently, his dad had the same idea as he did. As he walked into the kitchen, he realized that it wasn't his dad behind the stove, but Carole.

Kurt wrapped his robe around himself a little tighter. "Um, hi."

Carole turned smiling. "Good morning, Kurt. You're up early. Did you have a good night's sleep?"

Kurt nodded and looked over to see his dad and Finn already eating.

Burt looked up from his paper. "Morning. You seemed tired last night so I was trying to let you sleep in. Finn's car is in pieces in the garage, so Carole had to come and pick him up this morning. She decided to make breakfast since she was already here."

Kurt nodded again. Really, what reply could he have given? Should he have yelled and screamed that Burt was his daddy and they couldn't have him? Kurt was a diva but that would have taken it a little too far.

Kurt got a plate from the cabinet and patiently waited for the bacon and pancakes Carole was making.

"How many pancakes and strips of bacon do you want, Kurt?"

Kurt looked at the woman oddly before answering the question. It seemed like a very kooky morning. It was almost like he was on the set of Leave It to Beaver, except he really wasn't Beaver. "Um, seven pancakes and three pieces of bacon please."

Finn snorted. Kurt whipped his head to figure out what was so weird.

Carole spoke up. "Are you sure, hun, because Finn only eats four and two?"

Burt looked at their direction fondly and said, "My boy can eat anyone under the table. I am pretty sure he has a hollow leg."

Kurt backed away. "It's okay. I'll just have cereal if it's too much trouble."

He turned to get a bowl when Carole stopped him. "No trouble, just curious that's all."

Kurt turned back, trying not to fidget with his robe. He didn't feel like he fit in in his own kitchen with the happy sitcom-like family that was before him. It was almost like he was stuck in some parallel universe where up was down, green was blue and his family had perfected merged with Finn's to make a super family that he really didn't fit into. Kurt felt like he was crawling out of his skin with discomfort from being the odd man out in his own house.

"So what are you up to today, Finn?" His dad asked taking attention away from Kurt thus allowing him to calm down.

It wasn't the end of the world. It was just one breakfast. With the fond look that seemed to be passing between his dad and Carole, it probably wasn't going to be the last breakfast though. It was one big happy family event ... plus him.

Hindi Klum, he was being a drama queen. He needed to calm down and start coping...celebrating the new family unit he was part of.

"...rt, Kurt!"

Kurt nearly dropped his plate as he looked towards his dad, who seemed very worried.

"Yes, dad?" Kurt said trying to seem normal.

"I was asking what you were going to be up to today?" Burt got up and moved to his son. He raised the back of his hand to Kurt's forehead. "Are you feeling alright?Because I could cancel with Finn if you're not feeling well?"

Kurt glanced at Finn, who looked a little annoyed about the change in plans. A part of Kurt wanted to be spiteful and make his dad take care of him all day as payback for the ruined plans from last night but he knew he couldn't. He didn't need Finn to hate him. Finn already thought that he wasn't good enough for his dad. One push and Finn might try to convince his dad of that too. Maybe a retreat was the best option in fighting for his dad's attention.

Kurt ground his teeth but smiled up at Burt. "No, I'm fine. I just need to catch up on some sleep." He ducked away from his dad as he noticed the bacon strips were ready. Grabbing one from the pan, he started chewing on it. "I'm probably just going to sleep and work on my song for glee today."

Burt didn't look convinced. "If you're sure, because Finn and I might have to haul his car to garage for a few hours. I don't want you at the house by yourself if you are sick."

Kurt shook his head and placed the rest of his bacon on his plate. Seeing at least a dozen pancakes in a stack next to Carole, Kurt grab the top half and smothered them with syrup. He started to cut up the pancakes and heave them into his mouth. He heard a slight giggle from Carole. When he looked up, he saw Finn look at him with amazement and Carole trying not to laugh.

Finally, she managed to stop giggling enough to speak. "Oh I'm sorry Kurt, but..." Carole started laughing. "You eat just like your father."

Kurt put his fork down, embarrassed. He was used to not worrying about how he ate at home, and now he was being teased about it. Kurt wondered how much he was going to have to change in order to keep the peice.

His dad seemed to be getting into the spirit of teasing Kurt. "Yeah, but Kurt never gets anything on him though. He was never a messy eater, just a quick one."

Kurt smiled slightly at his dad and picked up a piece of bacon. He felt uneasy trying eating in front of them now. Puck hadn't made such a big deal about how he ate. He just made a joke and ignored it. Why couldn't they?

He slowly started to pick at his pancakes until he finished. He didn't even feel like finishing them, except he was sure that would upset his dad and Carole. As soon as the last piece was in his mouth, he stood up, washed his plate, and put it in the dryer. He nodded at the trio still munching and stated he was going down to his room.

He laid down on his bed ready to play possum if anyone came to check on him. Gucci, was he ever going to have time with just his dad ever again? Seriously, they even invaded Saturday breakfast and Dad usually slept way in on Sundays, unless there was a game on. So no, Sunday breakfast unless Carole started coming here every weekend morning to cook which Kurt didn't wanted either. He wanted just a few uninterrupted minutes with his dad. Was he being selfish for ask for that?

Kurt looked at his phone as it innocently lay on the nightstand. He grabbed it and looked at the last message. Puck...Noah was right, W/E. Kurt decided after his nap that he was going to figure out the best song ever for Noah. It was going to perfect.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

Kurt hadn't seen anyone since Saturday morning but he took advantage of the time and got his choreography for his song down pat. It really wasn't a hard song to sing but it was the delivery that he was having a hard time with.

As he went up the sidewalk on that bright sunny Monday morning, he could clearly see Karofsky and Azimio waiting for him next to the dumpster. Taking a deep breath, Kurt walked up to the two behemoths feeling ready for their worst. Boy was he wrong. Instead of just tossing him in the dumpster, they decided to push him around a bit first. They ripped his bag off, emptying it onto the concrete, and when he reached to pick up his things, Karofsky kicked him in the stomach. As he fell over, Karofsky reach for his legs and Azimio grabbed his arms. They swung him into the dumpster and laughed when they heard him hit the side.

This is why he hated the idiotic duo. When Finn was in charge, or even Noah for that matter, the object was to humiliate Kurt not injure him. Kurt laid on top of the garbage for a few seconds as he tried to focus. He knew he was going to have bruises up and down his left side and probably a really ugly mark on his stomach, too. At least, he could cover all of that up without too much of a hassle. He grabbed the edge of the bin and hoisted himself over. If there was an Olympics for jumping out of a dumpster, Kurt would win with style and grace to spare.

He sighed as he started to gather his things back into his bag. On a positive note, nothing broke this time. After a few of his cologne bottles broke in the past, Kurt had learnt to pack them like Christmas gifts and keep them in his locker along with other assorted materials needed to clean up after a day of the special jock treatment.

Kurt straightened up and tried to seem nonchalant about what had happened all the while he was secretly dreaming of ways to maim the boys involved. Maybe castration was the way to go. Then they could never make new little Karofskys and Azimios who would continue to torment other people for years to come.

Kurt walked up to his locker and noticed Noah coming up to him with his jacket. "Hey." Kurt said lackluster. This was not how he wanted his morning meeting with Noah to go. For some odd reason, the little text message conversation he had with Noah was actually one of the highlights of his weekend. Kurt thought it was more to do with the chance of a happy situation coming out of being friends with Noah rather than the one spiraling out of his control with his dad and Finn.

Noah notably grimaced as he stepped closer. "Dude, what happened to you?"

"First of all, not a dude and second, what do you think happened? I had my morning meeting with the dumpster courtesy of Karofsky and Azimio." Kurt finished softly. He knew it wasn't Noah's fault, but he still felt annoyed at his past tormentor.

There was silence for a second before Kurt looked up. Noah's face looked like he had been bitch slapped. "Hey, I didn't know they were still doing that. I thought they had stopped after you joined the team. I know I talked to the rest of the guys about stopping."

Kurt thought for a second and he realized that it was only Karofsky and Azimio who were unholy terrors to him. The rest of the football players, while not hugely welcoming, left him alone for the most part. It was nice of Noah to talk to them about leaving Kurt alone, even though it had probably more to do with winning games than actual team cohesion.

Kurt smiled at Noah, who seemed to think the sudden change of attitude a little freaky and leaned back. "Actually Noah, the rest of the team is fine. It's just tweedledum and tweedledee that are the problems."

Kurt tried to push his coif back, but noticed some stickiness. He groaned. That was never going to come out with just washing his head in the sink. Coco Chanel, he wished he was just a little tougher so he could fight those two meat head. While normally he was a passive person, sometimes violence only understood violence.

As Kurt looked at Noah, who was standing there uncomfortably, an idea came to his usually perfectly primped head. "You could teach me to fight back."

Noah looked at Kurt strangely. "What did you say?"

"You do that fight club thing, so you have to know how to fight." Kurt said excitedly. "I'm not asking to take down Jet Li, but just enough so I don't get pummeled all the time."

Noah shook his head and backed away. "No way. I'm not teaching you to fight. I mean you're small, delicate and... No way, no how, do I ever want to see you going up against those two. Here's your jacket. I'm out of here."

Kurt raised his voice. "I go against them every day, Puck."

Noah froze then turned. "Yet you don't see how much worse it can be. Don't try to be a hero, princess." Noah finished with low warning growl.

Kurt pushed the jacket Noah gave him into his locker and slammed it. He then continued to nearest bathroom. As he looked into the mirror to assess the damage, he noticed that all in all, the morning dumpster dive hadn't destroyed any of his cloths beyond repair. A little spot cleaning and he should be on his way. The only real problem was his hair. He could fake that it was a new type of hair gel that went horrible wrong. Knowing how well he took care of his thick locks, no one would be surprised that he was trying to get better product.

Finally, Kurt lifted his shirt. He winced at what he saw. His left side had already started to turn colors and his stomach was red. Kurt reached into his bag and got the topical cream he used to minimize the bruising. He had added vitamin C and E to his skin care regiment months ago to stop the bruises before they started. He winced but thoroughly covered all the sore area before quickly putting the cream back into his bag and running to class. It was going to be a long day.


	6. Chapter 6

If there was ever a day Kurt hoped Coach Tanaka would cancel practice, it was today. He was so sore he felt as if he was a hundred years old. He slowly made his way to the corner where his gear was before taking off his bag and sitting down. Kurt took a deep breath and started taking off his layers. He was always in two to three layers of clothing since he was usually cool during most of the year in Ohio and while it wasn't a problem most days, he would have loved a T-shirt to fling off today.

Once he got his undershirt off, he reached down to untie his shoes. Right as he finished with his left shoe, he felt someone touch his back. Kurt jump up and shrieked, neither of which helped his injuries. He turned to see a very pissed off Noah behind him. "For the love of all that is musical, could you please stop trying to scare me to death?"

Noah's eyes narrowed onto Kurt's stomach. "Is that from this morning?"

Kurt grabbed his jersey and tried to cover himself. "So what if it is?"

If Kurt believed in the devil or even demons, he would have truly thought Noah was possessed with the way his eyes narrowed further and seemed to have a malicious spark in them all of a sudden. Kurt felt as if the anger in those eyes seemed to leap out of Noah skin and started to come off of the other teen in waves. Kurt didn't know what came over Noah but he knew that whoever had made him this anger was not going to be in one piece for very long.

Kurt jumped again as Noah bellowed for the team without taking his unearthly gaze off of Kurt. Considering most of them wouldn't cross Noah on a good day, the whole group was next to Noah as quickly as their legs could bring them. Though Finn might have been the quarterback, football was Noah's show. Here not even Karofsky and Azimio really had a say in what happened. It was all about Noah so what he said was law.

Kurt looked at the group of guys in front of him and shrank back into the lockers. He had never seen them so united before. The only people who were not there were Finn, junior or two, Karofsky and Azimio.

Kurt didn't notice Noah's advancements until he had grabbed Kurt by his good arm and twirled around. Kurt flushed. His left side was on display for the whole team. He could almost feel their eyes burning this left side. He wanted to shrink away but Noah's grip was like steel around him.

"Kurt is our teammate. Even more importantly, he is the kicker who helped us win one of our first wins of the season. See his side? Someone did that to our kicker. We failed to protect our kicker. If we continue to fail at protecting our kicker, we will loose him. So from now onward anyone who lays a hand on Kurt, messes with the whole team." Noah railed. He ended speech by taking Kurt's towel and wrapping it around Kurt. When Kurt tried to move away, Noah's hold seemed to soften but did not let go of his waist.

Kurt heard Berry's voice speak out. "Who did it?"

"Karofsky and Azimio." Noah growled and tightened his hold on Kurt back to the strips of steel they had been before.

"Jesus, those guys are huge." One of the guys said.

"Yeah, and they've been giving Kurt hell since day one. If a one thirty kicker, can deal with their abuse, can't you Anderson? You don't think if we all banded together, we couldn't teach them a lesson? Or are we just a bunch of sissies?" Noah said as he glared at the crowd.

"Yeah, Karofsky and Azimio are assholes. Hummel's never done anything to us. Well, except the dance thing but I got laid because of that so it's cool." Berry said.

Anderson replied, "Yeah, me too."

A guy in the back said, "Three way with two of the Cheerios."

Kurt shook his head. He could hear the high fives and the slaps on the back that announcement had gotten the speaker. This is why he was waiting until he left this little podunk town before he started dating. All high school guy thought about was sex.

Noah grinned, "Exactly, Hummel got us laid so we should repay him by protecting our kicker. Right guys?"

There was a chorus of yes's before the guys came up one by one to show support. Kurt was completely red in the face by the time the last guy came and gave his encouragement that the team would take care of Kurt.

After he left, Kurt sat down on the bench and covered his face. "Vera Wang, who would have thought heterosexual sex would one day help me?"

Noah laughed. "Some good sexin' is a very powerful. Hell, bad sex works, too. We are teenaged boys, you know."

Kurt glared up at Noah. "You humiliated me. I didn't want them to see my bruises."

Noah glared back. "So you want to play the martyr? Not on my watch, Hummel. Come on. Let's get the coach to see your back so you can get some treatment." Noah grabbed Kurt's arm and tried to manhandle him again.

Kurt yanked his arm out of Noah's grip. "No way. If Coach Tanaka thinks it's bad, he'll call my dad and that is not happening. I am not going to worry him about some school pranks."

"Jesus, Princess, you're half black and blue." Noah said as he kick a locker.

Kurt stood unimpressed. "No."

Noah punched same locker in frustration. "Fine." He finally said coolly. "But when we get to the fight club, I am getting you checked out. Got it?"

Kurt's posture softened. "You're going to teach me."

Noah nodded in defeat but quickly added. "But only defense."

Kurt squealed and hugged Noah before his brain really caught up with his actions. Kurt's eyes widened dramatically as he jumped back. "I mean thanks."

Noah slide down the aisle with his back against the lockers. "Don't mention it or this ever."

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

Practice that afternoon was hilarious to Kurt. It seemed for some odd reason Karofsky and Azimio kept on getting the ball and would end up on the wrong side of a dog pile. The coach didn't know what was happening but after the tenth time, he finally called an end to practice and sent everyone in.

If Kurt had been in any state to skip in, he would have lowered himself to that level but sadly or thankfully that was not possible today. He smiled widely as Noah met him at his car ready to go. He then took a sniff and realized Noah hadn't showered.

Noah ruffled Kurt's hair and laughed at Kurt's wrinkled nose. "I'm just going to get more sweaty at the club so why waste the clean clothes or the water?"

Kurt shook his head. He hated being all smelly so being clean was well worth the cost to the environment. "Well, we'll take your truck then. I'm not letting you stick up my baby."

Noah straightened up with an evil smile. "Oh, it's like you don't love me anymore. Come over here and we'll hug this out?"

Kurt eyes widened and started to step back. Noah took a step towards him and Kurt broke out in a run. Between the fact that Noah worked out regularly and Kurt still had his bag on, the chase was very short. Kurt soon found himself tackled softly to the ground and covered by Noah. In his victory, Noah rubbed himself against Kurt just long enough to get some of his sweat on the smaller boy. Once he was done, he got and smiled.

"You smell like a man now, Hummel." Noah laughed as he extended a hand to Kurt.

Kurt shook his head and grabbed Noah's hand for help. "Great, now I'm going to have eau-de-Noah on me all day. I might never feel clean, again."

"PUCK! Eau-de-Puck, princess." Puck said smile still very bright on his face.

Kurt suddenly remembered something odd. "You called me Kurt earlier."

Noah unlocked his truck and shrugged. "And?"

Kurt really didn't know what to say. "You never did that before."

Noah waited until Kurt was situated before answering. "It makes people remember who you are. It works better than calling you princess...then again maybe not."

Kurt glared at Noah. "The whole football team is not allowed to call me princess."

Noah smirk. "So just me then? I feel touched."

Kurt realized he was fighting a loosing battle and quickly changed topics. "What about food?"

He hadn't really eaten since breakfast Saturday and it was finally catching up to him. He knew he shouldn't have skipped meals but he hated eating by himself. He would have asked Tina or Mercedes over but they were both busy with their own things. (Tina with Artie and Mercedes with some church thing.)

"We'll get some fast food on the way there. I want Mac to look at you before classes start. MickeyDs good with you?" Puck said as he started towards the drive thru.

Kurt shrugged. He ordered two big Mac extra value meals much to the amusement of Noah who just got a Chicken sandwich and small fry. He handed Noah a twenty for his food saying that he still owned him for last night. Noah raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. As usual, Kurt was bouncing with excitement for the food that was coming his way causing the other boy to laugh softly at him. Yet Kurt didn't feel upset by that for some odd reason that Noah was laughing at him. He just smiled and continued swinging his legs knowing that the other boy really didn't seemed to mind his childish.

When they finally got their food (the three minute wait nearly killed Kurt), Kurt hesitated in diving right in like normal. He remember the laughter from Saturday and was self conscious about how he ate.

Puck had grabbed some fries to munch on as he was driving. When he saw Kurt not eating, looked confused. "Hey, eat. No need for proper manners or anything. It's fast food and I've seen you eat before."

Kurt smiled and took as huge bite of his big Mac as he watch the road and stores go by. He hadn't been to this part of town in a while so the stores looked a little odd to him. Usually, he went from home to school or one of his friends places. The only time he was out of the house otherwise was when his dad forgot to pick up something from the store but that rarely happened since Kurt started leaving lists of supplies needed next to his dad's keys every night. He really had a very sheltered life.

Noah pulled into the parking lot of a small warehouse-like building. It had definitely seen better days. There were other cars in the parking lot so Kurt was pretty sure this wasn't a trick and Noah had just found a very good stop to hide his body. He clutched his bag to him as he started getting out of the car.

Noah walked over to Kurt and draped an arm over the smaller boy's shoulders. "No one knows about this place and no one's gonna, right?"

Kurt nodded. He started wondering what he had gotten himself into. He tried to bravely walk up to the door but Noah apparently thought he was going to slow since he pushing him along. When Kurt entered, he noted the interior was nothing like the exterior. The inside had been renovated to look like really large karate gym or something akin to that. The walls were an off white and there were blue padded floors everywhere.

Noah let go of Kurt and toed off his shoes. He gave Kurt a quick smile before running up behind a tall muscular man and pounced on him. Kurt was amused when Noah was in a headlock in less then a minute later.

Noah kept on trying to elbow the stranger for a few minutes before finally admitting defeat. "Okay, you win."

The other man let out a very hearty laugh as he let go of Noah. "Puck, you should just give up." He said and he pulled Noah into a hug.

"No way, man. One day, you're going down." Noah said as he bounced with energy.

For a second, Kurt could see the naughty, mischievous child that Noah had been when he was little. He had probably been running in all directions as once: too much energy and not enough time to get it out of him. He must have driven his mother mad.

Noah motioned towards Kurt to his friend. The elder man was somewhere in his mid to late thirties and seemed in amazing shape. He was about Puck's height. Maybe an inch taller making him about 6' 1"ish. He seemed to scream fun in the sun with his blond hair and blue eyes but his most amazing feature was definitely his smile.

Noah's eyes narrowed as he looked at Kurt's appreciative look of the other man. "Jesse, this is Kurt. Princess, this is Jesse."

Kurt glared at Noah as he rose a hand to shake Jesse's. He was surprised when Jesse grabbed him and gave him a hug. Noah laughed at Kurt's expression.

"Dude, any friend of the little man is a friend of mine." Jesse said in his deep laughing voice.

Kurt smiled. "Little man, huh?" He looked questionably at Noah who seemed to look everywhere but at Kurt and Jesse.

Jesse let Kurt go but kept an arm over his shoulder. Seriously, what was with tall guys and deciding other people were their arm rests?

"I've known Puck since he was this small." He motioned to his hip. "He used to..."

Noah grabbed Kurt and quickly pulled him towards the office. "Wow, I think I see Mac. Too bad you couldn't finish that story." Noah yelled back.

Kurt saw Jesse smile. The elder man mouthed "later" to Kurt and winked.

Kurt started giggling. This was turning out to be an awesome day. First, the football team pummeled the evil duo, then he got Noah to promise defense lesson, and now he had a source of Noah dirt. Yes, this was spectacular day.

Noah lead Kurt into the office which turned out to be more of a mini triage room. "Mac, my friend here's hurt."

Mac had been kneeling down putting some files away as they entered so as he stood up, he was a sight to see. For all the happy sunniness that was Jesse, Mac was the exact opposite. He had a type A personality look to him. The his-way-or-the-highway look that never was good for Kurt. Kurt moved closer to Noah as Mac looked at him. Mac grunted as he motioned to the bench against the wall right next to him.

Kurt took a deep breath and kept hoping that he wouldn't upset the stocky man and cause him to kill him. Mac was a taller than Kurt but not as lengthy as Jesse. He must have spent hours in the gym every week since Kurt was sure there was not an ounce of fat on the man, just bulging scary muscles. Kurt kept getting flashbacks to the old Hulk episodes his dad made him watch. Kurt looked at Noah, who was wondering around the room with a naughty smile on his face.

Mac saw that smile and raised his eyebrow. It looked exactly like Noah's move. The gruff man turned his attention back to Kurt. "So kid, what's hurt?"

Noah walked up right behind Mac and started making faces. Kurt's eyes widened. Oh my god, I'm going to be killed by this guy because Noah's a jerk!

Mac looked behind him to see Noah trying to look very innocent. Judging by the glare Noah was getting, Mac wasn't buying the act.

"Ok, what's the story?" He asked Noah.

Noah moved over to Kurt and yanked the edge of his shirt up showing over the bruises. "His whole left side is covered and he got hit in the stomach."

Mac shook his head. He reached into the freezer a few ice backs. He looked at Kurt. "Strip."

All Kurt could do was move closer to Noah.

Noah laughed. "Aww, is princess scared of the big Russian teddy bear?"

Kurt glared at Noah as he heard a deep three coming from Mac. He watched as Noah's eyes got a little wider and he shot out of the room.

He turned to Mac to see the man in a wide smirk again eerily like Noah's. The man didn't look as menacing anymore. "Come on, the ice packs aren't going to help through that get up."

Kurt got up and took off his shirt. Mac had him stand for a second while he assessed the damage and gave him ice packs to hold as he wrapped them on Kurt. The man was surprisingly tender with his touch.

The room was completely silent for most of the procedure so when Mac spoke Kurt was a little surprised. "Football?"

Kurt shook his head. Seeing the unspoken question in Mac's eyes, Kurt answered softly. "Some bullies."

There was quick anger in Mac's eyes as he stepped away from Kurt. He moved to the door where he roared, "NOAH!"

Noah quickly came to the door. "What's wrong? Do I need to take him to the hospital? Can you cover my class?"

Mac looked at Noah and growled. "Did you do this?"

Both Kurt and Noah said no at the same time. Noah continued, "I might push kids around a little but I never try to hurt them. Honest, it wasn't me."

Mac went and sat back in his chair. "Kid, you're going to make me old before my years."

Noah stepped out of the door. "Too late. You're already an old man." He disappeared as Mac lunged out of his chair.

Kurt looked at Mac. The man was surprisingly protective of him and it was the first time he had ever met Mac. It was odd that Mac had such a strong protective streak.

Mac sat for a minute and grabbed a bottle off of the shelve. "Here, it'll help with the pain and the minimize the bruising."

Kurt meekly took the pills. They sat in silence again as Kurt tried to figure out if he should leave or not.

Mac voice came through the room very softly as if he was talking to mostly to himself. "He's a good kid. He just never got enough male attention. That's why he fights so hard with everyone and everything. He never takes the easy road. Hates hurting others but I've seem that boy in so much pain..."

Mac stopped talking as he looked out the door. He abruptly got up and threw a huge shirt at Kurt. "Out. Go find Noah."

Kurt quickly donned the three sizes too big shirt and walked over to Noah, who was surrounded by a gaggle of kids. They ranged from five to twelve year olds. Most of them were boys and they all seemed to be vying for Noah's attention. Kurt watched as Noah shouted out orders and they all seemed to listen except for one little eight year old girl, who didn't leave Noah's side.

"That's Anna. Her mom put her in the class because she was too shy. Now, she won't leave Puck's side. She has claimed Puck as hers." Jesse said as he came up next to Kurt.

Kurt shook his head. Of course, Noah would have little girls fall for him. Kurt started ponder if there were age limits on the Puck charm.

"Are you sticking around for fight club?" Jesse asked. "It starts after Puck's done with the kids."

Kurt looked at the other man with an incredulous look. "You mean there really is a fight club?"

Jesse laughed. "Yeah, it's a bunch of guys, who get together and just pound on each other. It gets really interesting sometimes since it's open to any type of hand to hand combat."

Noah seemed to notice Kurt was done and came over to grab the brunette. Kurt was confused by the amused look on Jesse's face.

Noah pushed Kurt into the middle of the kids, who were in lines facing the door of the gym. "Okay guys, this is Kurt. He's going to be joining you guys for a while."

Kurt snorted. Only Noah could do someone a favor and humiliate him at the same time.

Noah smiled. "Now, Kurt get in line for stretches and you can watch the rest of practice."

Kurt was about to protest A) his being lumped in with five year olds and B) being benched the first day when the soreness in his side made itself known. He calmly went to the back of the class and tried to do as many of the stretches as possible. The stretches seemed to be a commination of the ones used in football and some Kurt thought were kind of like yoga. Either way, after the first few Kurt decided to sit the rest of the class out.

Noah seemed to be at ease in front of the class. After stretches, he had the class start working on what seemed to be last week's new moves in groups probably designed by ability. There were at least five groups that Kurt could see all doing very different levels of fighting. Noah seemed to know when to pop in to a group before anyone really hurt each other but also allowed the kids to showcase their own new moves if he deemed them safe. The class only last an hour and just before the class let out, Noah went Mac's office for some handouts.

One of the older boys came up to Kurt very excited. "Hey, do you want to help us get pizza?"

Kurt shrugged. "Sure."

A few more of the kids came up to Kurt.

"All we have to do to get pizza for next week in pin Puck down." The boy said.

Kurt squeaked slightly. "I can't pin him down."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Not by yourself, dummy. We all are going to help."

The spokesman for the group was then hit on the back of the head. Another boy about the same age spoke up, "Puck doesn't like it when we call people names."

The spokesman was embarrassed. "Sorry, but could you help us?"

All the words seemed to be jumbling in Kurt's head. Pizza? Pin Puck? No name calling? Kurt looked at all the anxious little faces and was defeated.

"Okay, I'm in."


	7. Chapter 7

The plan seemed easy enough. Kurt was supposed to distract Noah and the kids were going to rush him. Oh, how the best laid plans of mice and (little) men often go astray.

Kurt pulled off his part perfectly. When Noah came out of the office towards the class, Kurt yelped in false pain. He was near the middle of the room so the kids could get behind Noah without him catching on.

Noah approached Kurt. "Are the bandages too tight? Mac can loosen them..."

So far the plan had worked since Noah hadn't notice the group of kids behind him until it was too late. There was a united scream from behind Noah and this is where the plan started to all apart. They hadn't planned out Kurt's escape route. As Noah fell under the push of the twenty odd children, Kurt fell under the weight of Noah plus the twenty odd children. Not so good on an already sore body. It turned out that like any other normal person, Noah grabbed onto the nearest steady thing that might help him stay up right. Kurt was unluckily that thing was him and they did not stay up right.

The air was knocked out of Kurt's lungs as Noah fell on him. "Oww." Kurt moaned.

Noah lifted himself up as much as he could with the pile of little bodies on top of him. "Hey, what's the big idea?"

The crowd on top of Noah started chanting pizza. Unfortunately, they also started bouncing in time with the chant. No pizza was worth this misery, Kurt decided as the bouncing pushed Noah on him. Kurt couldn't figure out what hurt more, the unforgiving floor or the hard muscles that seemed to hit him right in the sore spots every time Noah was pushed back onto Kurt.

Noah looked at Kurt. He whispered, "Were you in on this?"

Kurt batted his eyes innocently, "Moi?"

Noah snorted and rolled off of Kurt only to roll onto the munchkins. After he wiggled for a few seconds on them and laughed at the cries to stop, he finally got up and helped Kurt.

The spokesman smiled widely at Noah. "We pinned you so we get pizza."

Noah shook his head and smiled. "No, we pinned Kurt so no pizza for you!" Noah laughed evilly and chased a few of the kids around the room.

Mac stuck his head out of the office. "Keep it down."

Noah turned to Mac and did a mock salute. "Yes, sir. Mister, sir."

Mac took a step towards Noah. Noah countered by grabbing the nearest kid who happened to be the spokesman. "Look at this sweet innocent face on Nick." He paused and swapped Nick for another kid. "Look at this sweet innocent face on Joe... Wait a second, I have to have one sweet innocent kid in this class." The class started to giggle at their teacher's remarks. Noah grabbed Kurt and turned him to face Mac. "You can't kill me in front of Kurt. He would tell people."

Kurt shook his head. "No, I wouldn't. Mac please proceed."

Mac's eyes lit up with mischief. "That's three strikes."

Noah glared at Kurt. "Some help you are. Okay kids, defend me from the grizzle and there will be pizza for all."

Mac was pounced on by the class. The elder man made a great scene of trying valiantly to still get Noah and loosing. The class cheered and started to pack their things all talking about the victory they had over Mac.

Noah started handing out slips of paper reminding the parent of days that class would be cancelled due to his schedule and gave them all props for beating Mac. As the last kid walked out with his parent, Mac got off the floor. Jesse smiled at the stocky man.

"I think that was your best performance yet." Jesse said, slapping Mac on the back.

Mac smiled widely. "Anything for free food."

Mac and Jesse disappeared into the office leaving Kurt and Noah alone. Noah smiled fondly at the office as he started to put away the props he used in class.

Noah looked at Kurt. "You didn't have to go along with them. You already are pretty messed up, princess."

Kurt huffed. "You didn't have to fall on me."

"Oh please. Like me rubbing against you isn't going to fuel your jack off sessions for the week." Noah wiggled his eyebrow. "Maybe longer."

Kurt tried to quell the smile coming to his face. He answered in a tone as dry as the Sahara. "Oh yes. I really want you. Oh baby, baby."

The two teens stared at each other. Both were trying to see who would break first. Finally, Noah could no longer hold back... His laughter echoed through the warehouse. Kurt started to giggle a second later.

Noah swung an arm over Kurt. "You are sick man."

Kurt bowed slightly. "Thank you. Speaking of sick, you were going to let five year olds defend you earlier."

Noah let go of Kurt and shook his head. "Naw princess. It was my turn to pay for pizza so Mac and I had it set up for him to 'fight' me."

Kurt's eyes widened. "So I nearly got squashed to death for no go reason?"

Noah just smiled.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Unbelievable."

"Hey, I think you got the kids to like you though." Noah said trying to appease the temperamental teen.

Kurt shrugged. What was the use of admiration for a bunch of kids if he was flatten?

Noah turned back to cleaning the room when the main door opened up. A huge guy, who looked like one of those stereotypical truckers, walked in followed by a very lean man. The thin man smiled wickedly and screamed, "Who's ready for fight night?"

Jesse came out of the office with his standard smile. "Dudes, good of you to join us tonight. How are the wives and kids?"

Mac came out right after Jesse and walked to the strangers. He shook both of their hands. As Jesse started to motion them in, a few more guys came in the door.

Kurt felt a nudge from Noah and followed the other boy to the office. Noah closed the door behind him and lifted the shirt Kurt was wearing part of the way up. He started to take the ice back out and tightening the bandages. "Okay, princess. This isn't like in the movies. The guys out there really do fight hard so if you don't want to watch we can leave now."

Kurt puffed his chest and looked down his nose. "Bring it."

Noah smirked. "That's a good girl."

Kurt swung his arm out and hit Noah on the chest.

Noah shook his head. "Bad form and no force. We'll work on that Wednesday. As of today, I own your ass Mondays, Wednesday and every other Friday."

Kurt fluttered his eyes. "Why Noah, I didn't know you felt that way?"

Noah lightly tapped Kurt on the back of the head but let the comment slide.

Jesse came to the office topless, bouncing on his toes. "Come on, dudes. Noah's first up tonight."

Noah whooped in joy. He yanked off his shirt and threw it onto Kurt. Kurt took a second to change out of Mac's shirt into Noah's figuring that it was easier to return a cleaned shirt to his school mate than it would be Mac. Also, it was kind of showing support for Noah too, right?

"Aww. The knight has given you his favor. Too bad I'm going to wipe him across the floor." Jesse said as he waited for Kurt.

Kurt wanted to defend Noah but he honestly did not know how good his... friend? was. Sure, he could get the better of the guys at school but Jesse and Mac clearly had some type of training. He didn't know anything about the other men, who had formed a loose circle around the warehouse, but they didn't appear like this was their first fight either.

Mac came over and nodded at Kurt and Jesse. Jesse nodded back and walked to the middle of the room. Noah was already there stretching out his arms while shifting from foot to foot. Mac stood right next to Kurt as they watch the two men shake hands and look over to Mac.

The gritty voice barked out, "Three, two, one."

As soon as one left Mac's lips, Noah attacked. He put his head down and tried to tackle Jesse, but his plan backfired when Jesse started to hit him and kneed him at the same time. Noah pushed hard against Jesse and managed to get the blonde to stumble for a microsecond. It was long enough that Noah landed a pretty good hit to the stomach though the hit didn't phase Jesse. The taller man moved back, dropped and swept his leg under Noah. Noah anticipated for the move and stepped back. While Jesse was straighten out, Noah tried to land a midlevel roundhouse but failed when Jesse caught his foot. Noah knew he was in trouble when Jesse smiled and used Noah foot to keep Noah in place so he could deliver his front kick. The blow landed on Noah's lower left thigh. The impact of that kick was clear as Noah stumbled backwards and fell on his ass.

Kust tensed and tried to move forward. Mac's hand on his forearm stopped him. He looked at Mac, who seemed completely focused on the fight. It was almost like he wasn't even paying attention to Kurt and his hand had moved by itself. Kurt turned back to the fight not wanting to see Noah get hurt and hoping his friend would win.

Noah had gotten back on to his feet and pair had started to circle each other. Noah was favoring his right leg just a little more than his right but it didn't seem to faze him much. After a few circles, Jesse came out swinging but Noah ducked most of the jabs until he took control of the fight by grabbing Jesse's wrist. He used the motion of the older man's body and push Jesse hard into his raised knee. The crowd cheered the move and had started to egg the two on. Noah moved back to let Jesse get the air back in his lungs from the chest hit his knee just gave the blond.

When he got up, the taller man did not look as sunny as he normally did. The pair exchanged kicks and jabs, which neither landed until Jesse seemed to decide to end the fight. Kurt watched Jesse become as fluid as liquid while he advanced on Noah faking as a right cross and coming up with a rear leg front kick. The kick used all of the muscles of Jesse toned right leg and the inertia from taking the back leg forward thus making it not only almost unstoppable but a show stopping hit. The blow to the chest knocked Noah to the ground.

Kurt again tried to go into the ring to help Noah up but Mac wouldn't let him go.

As the guys were cheering, Jesse strutted to Noah only stopping to bow every now and then. He reached a hand down to Noah, who was sitting on his butt with his feet in front of him and his arms cradling his chest. Noah didn't look up until he had already grabbed Jesse's hand and the smile on his face showed the Noah wasn't done yet. He swept his left leg out causing Jesse to fall forward when Noah pulled on his arm. The older man fell flat on his face and was quickly pinned by Noah. Jesse huffed and pushed up against the weight of the teenager. The two kept on flipping back and forth until Jesse pinned Noah face down to the mat and used his right arm to keep the teen in place. A few seconds later, Noah stopped struggling and Jesse let him go. Jesse easily got to his feet and pulled Noah up into a hug. Jesse said something to the teen that caused a huge smile to break across Noah's face.

Mac finally let go of Kurt's arm and started to clap. Kurt used his new found freedom to run to the middle of the growing circle around Noah. Even though Jesse had won, it seemed like Noah was the king of the hill for the moment. Everyone was coming up and congratulating him on the fight. Looking at the crowd, Kurt realized that Noah was probably the youngest fighter they had. Most of the guys seemed to be in their mid to late twenties or older. Noah must have been the baby of the group thus the uber amount of props.

Noah slowly made his way to where Kurt was. He looked as if he had won a gold metal with how happy he was. "Did you see the fight? It was awesome."

Before Kurt could answer, Noah darted past Kurt to Mac. "Did you see that, Mac? I hit him twice and got him on the mat."

Mac smiled and clapped Noah on the back. "Sure did, kid. You did good."

Noah puffed out his chest. "Good? I was da bomb."

Kurt shook his head. Even in the face of a lose, Noah seemed overly proud of himself.

"And just last month, you couldn't land one." Mac said as he ushered Noah to the office.

Kurt followed the pair since most of his interest was in seeing Noah fight, not some nameless wonder.

Mac gotten Noah to sit down even though the teen was vibrating with energy. He started palpating Noah's chest to make sure there was no lasting damage. Jesse might have pulled his punches when he was fighting with Noah but that didn't mean that the teen would walk away completely uninjured.

Noah didn't even seem to notice what Mac was doing. He seemed too amped up from the fight. "Next time, I'm going to pin him."

Mac laughed. "Sure, kid. Jesse just has 20 years of experience on you. No big deal."

Noah seemed a little down after Mac's comment. "I still hit him."

Mac ruffled Noah's mohawk. "You did good, kid. Just start hitting harder and use that quick mind of yours and I'm sure it will happen... Just not anytime soon."

Noah huffed with indignation, which caused Kurt to laugh. Noah looked at Kurt in surprise. Apparently in his, Noah had forgotten about Kurt.

It took a second for Noah to put on a calm controlled face. "So did you enjoy the fight, princess? All those shirtless bodies..." Noah let the sentence hang in the air.

Kurt smirked. "Yes, just like the movie." Kurt would have said more but he was leery of outing himself in this extremely macho environment.

Mac snorted. "Okay, you two go home."

Noah turned to Mac. "But there's more fights."

"And both of you are banged up so out. I don't want a phone call from your mom." Mac said as he started pulling out supplies he would need by the end of the night.

The mention of his mom stopped Noah's protest. "Fine. I'll see you Wednesday." Noah stomped out.

Mac smiled at the retreating back of the boy. "What a mommy's boy."

A giggle escaped Kurt before he could stop it. Mac looked at him. "Um, yeah. Thank you for fixing me up. I left your shirt in the corner... Bye."

Kurt grabbed his bag and dashed out of the building.

He found Noah leaning against his truck. He was had apparently grabbed a T-shirt form somewhere since he wasn't topless anymore. Kurt then remembered that he was still wearing Noah's other T-shirt.

"Hey, do you want your shirt back?" Kurt asked as he sat down in the cab of Noah's truck.

Noah turned on the car and started backing out. "No, keep it. It's dirty anyway."

Kurt nodded and looked out the window. He had started to nod off by the time they got back to the school. Noah gave Kurt a funny look as he got out of the car.

"You okay to drive, Hummel? You look a little pasty." Noah said before Kurt closed the door.

Kurt nodded sleepily. He just wanted his bed. It had been a long day. "Can't leave my baby here all night. She'll get mad."

Noah shook his head. "Fine." Noah back out and left Kurt alone in the parking lot.

Kurt made his way to his car and sat back in the seat for a moment before starting the engine. He perked up when he heard his baby purr. Leaving the parking lot, Kurt slowly made his way home. He knew he probably should have left his car at school and asked Noah for a ride home yet here he was driving as slow as a ninety year old grandma trying desperately to stay awake. When he finally got home, he shrugged his bag on and moved lethargically through the house. He had heard his dad say something but he just nodded and moved to the basement.

When he was downstairs, he took off his bag and shoes so he could climb into bed. A second later, he realized that skinny jeans weren't the best option to sleep in. Without getting out from under the covers, Kurt managed to wiggle out of his jeans and fell into a deep sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Kurt woke up the next morning realizing two things. One, when injured it is best not to sleep on the injured side. Two, Noah Puckerman was havoc on his skin. Kurt got up and shuffled to his bathroom to inspect the damage. To begin with, he didn't do his night time skin regiment again and while it hadn't destroyed his skin yet, Kurt believe that an ounce of prevention was worth tons of cure. Especially since the cure usually ended with surgery or poison injected into his body. Not the Kurt won't do that but if he could gloat about his unaltered beauty, he wanted to for as long as possible.

Kurt looked at the shirt he was wearing. He hadn't taken off Noah's shirt before he went to bed. Which meant he not only had his sweat but Noah's sweat rubbing up against his all night, too? Now, he had to change his sheets because they had Noah sweat all over them. Sweat and dirt were not good for the skin, no matter what the Roman used to think.

Kurt took the shirt and bandages off and looked at his left side. The bruises looked a lot better than they should have in light of how much pain he was in. He should have put more of his topical cream on last night before going to bed but apparently a day following around Noah was a day with very little thought of tomorrow.

As he went through the previous day in his head, Kurt started his morning schedule of cleansers, moisturizers and exfoliates. Today, he leaned a little more heavily on the cleansers but with Noah seemingly taking over his after school hours this might become his normal morning system.

Moving to his wardrobe, Kurt quickly put together a look that said, "don't mess with me, I'm too fabulous" for today. He grabbed his favorite scarf and marched upstairs. He knew that he had already finished most of his homework at school the day before but still had a few math problems left. Hopefully, he could figure out the problems while getting a bite to eat.

To say that Kurt was surprised to see his dad waiting for him was an understatement. His dad usually was at the garage before Kurt even got up. Burt believed that the owner should be the first person in and the last person out on most days. He also liked to double check the new hires work for the first few weeks to make sure that he put his faith in the right man.

His dad also did not look so happy with whatever kept him at the house instead of at his shop. Actually, he looked quite annoyed. "What was going on yesterday, Kurt?"

Kurt tried to looked casual as he walked past his dad. There was a lot that went on yesterday and he didn't know what exactly his dad was questioning. "I went to school, had football practice, joined defense classes, and came home exhausted. I mean to completely did not have the energy to take care of my skin last night." He shook his head in disappointment as he grabbed a cereal bowl and the box of honey nut Cheerios. He reached over to the milk sitting in front of his dad before continuing. "I mean this," he gestured at his face "does not just happen. It takes a lot of work to look this good." Mentally, Kurt groan. He was starting to sound like Noah.

Burt was sidetracked for a few seconds by the odd comment from his son but went back to the statement that bothered him the most. "Why did you join defense classes? Are some jerks still bothering you at school? That's it! I'm coming down to your school and having a talk with that principal of yours. He should be able to control his school so this doesn't happen."

Burt got up and looked like he was ready to take on the whole school for Kurt. While Kurt did feel all warm and gooey about his dad defending his honor, he wasn't going to let him go and yell at the principal...again.

"Dad, it's fine. One of the guys just thought that since I am so petite, that I should take some classes. Also, it might be an excuse to butch me up." Kurt said with some disgust. He was perfect just the way he was, thank you very much.

Burt calmed down and deflated a little. "Oh," he sat back down at the table. "Well, that's good. Everyone should know how to protect themselves."

Kurt nodded dutifully. It was especially good to know when one gets thrown into dumpsters on an almost daily basis. "Yeah, so class is Mondays, Wednesday and every other Fridays."

Burt looked questioning at Kurt. "How are you going to manage that one top of football, glee, and classes? Aren't you taking on a bit much?"

Kurt smile. "I'm good, dad." He paused for a second. "If it gets too much, I'll drop the defense classes."

Burt nodded. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying football. When I was in high school, I was in every sport I could get into kind of like Finn. My mom loved it because it kept me out of trouble. I know I don't need to worry about you getting in trouble but it's nice to share football with you. I know you don't like it as much as glee but you are a big help to the team. Finn was telling me the other day how getting a kicker who can actually get in between the goal post was pretty hard the last few seasons."

Kurt resisted the urge to grimace. He never knew that one day the name that would cause his stomach to have butterflies would be the same name that would make it want to heave. True, it was a step up that Finn wasn't actually present but that didn't mean he wanted to talk about the boy in his absence. Shockingly, his world did not revolve around Finn, at least not anymore.

Kurt looked at his watch and pretended to be shocked. "Oh Neimen Marcus, it's almost time to go." He had finished his cereal and grabbed his pre-packed lunch from the fridge. (He usually put together the lunches on the weekends to insure that he could just run out the door in the morning if he slept in a bit.)

Burt got up, grabbed a banana and handed it to Kurt as he walked out the door with Kurt. "Hey, don't worry about getting me tickets. Finn dropped off a pair yesterday for me and Carole."

The craving to swear was so high in Kurt, he could almost taste the bitterness on his lips. "That's great. Thank him for me."

Burt walked up to Kurt's car as the teen got in. He motioned for Kurt to lower his window. "Kurt, I know it's not really cool if your dad comes down to the school to defend you and everything but... if you don't feel comfortable coming to me, you could tell Finn. He might be able to help."

Kurt gritted his teeth as he tried to smile. Noah had fixed everything not Mr. Perfect. "Okay, dad. I'll think about it."

Burt smiled and ruffled Kurt's hair much to the teen's chagrin. "Have a good day at school. You'll be home tonight, right?"

Kurt genuinely smiled. "If nothing happens between now, yeah."

"Good. Maybe, we can catch up on those TV shows we missed Friday." Burt said stepping away from the car.

Kurt nodded. "Sounds good." Kurt waved to his dad and start on his way to school. Other then the mentions of Finn, it was a good morning. Now, if he could just eliminate the pedestal that his dad put Finn on, his life would be so much better.

Instead of going directly to school, Kurt decided to get some coffee and a donut to kill some time. He rolled into the parking lot at school just a little earlier than normal. He grabbed his things and started to walk in with a donut in one hand and his black coffee in the other. As he approached the dumpster, he noticed two guys in lettermen jackets standing there. They weren't big enough to be Karofsky and Azimio but that didn't make Kurt feel much better. When he was closer, he saw that it was Berry and his friend Josh. They were both two of the nicer guys in football but Kurt noted that Berry was holding two slushies in his hand. Kurt sighed. So much for Noah's speech.

Kurt knew that running away wouldn't help him so he walked up to the pair with his head held high. "Hello, boys."

Berry smiled at Kurt. "Hey, Hummel. We got you a slushie but your hands are full."

Kurt's eyes widened. The slushie was for him to drink. Trying not to annoy his teammates, Kurt chomped down on the donut. He manage to get the whole thing down in two bites before reaching his hand out for one of the slushie.

Josh shook his head. "Dude, have you ever heard of chewing?"

Kurt shrugged. It hadn't been his most lady-like moment but it wasn't nearly as bad as how he usually ate. Kurt took a sip of the slushie. It was the wild cherry. It wasn't the best but did in a pinch if you really needed sugar.

"Thank you both." Kurt said as he walked to his locker. It took him a second to realize that he had two shadows following him. "Um guys, what's going on?"

Josh looked a little embarrassed and nodded to Berry to proceed. "It's like this Hummel...We kind of felt like dicks after we found out that Karofsky and Azimio were being such douches so a bunch of us got together and kind of hacked the school records."

Kurt's eyebrows shot up.

Josh punched Berry on the shoulder. "You're freaking him out, man. Okay, we just wanted to know where you're classes were so we could make sure Karofsky and Azimio wouldn't pound on you."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You could have asked. You could have gotten into trouble."

Josh laughed. "Naww, I've got mad skills with computers plus the school's records are a breeze to get into."

Berry interjected. "Seriously, Hummel, Puck's right. We should have protected you better once you joined the team."

Kurt stopped at his locker and grabbed his books for his morning classes. "It happens."

Berry shook his head. "My dad's a cop and he says that it's the duty of the strong to defend the weak."

Kurt whipped his head to glare at Berry. "I'm not weak."

Berry shrugged. "Yeah but you're not as strong as two linebackers either so until you can take them down, we'll watch out for you."

Kurt blushed lightly. "Thanks guys."

Josh and Berry smiled. Josh piped up and said, "It's no big deal."

Kurt was about to respond when he heard a familiar voice yelling for him. Kurt turned to see Mercedes and Tina making their way to his side.

Mercedes glared at the football players after she gave Kurt a hug. "Hey, are these jocks bothering you, white boy?"

Kurt shook his head and giggled at the slightly scared look on the football players faces. No one's glare seemed to work as well as Mercedes' glare. "No, these kind gentlemen were going to escort me to my first class. Tina, Mercedes, I would like to introduce you to Berry and Josh. Berry and Josh, these are my favorite girls Tina and Mercedes."

Tina shyly waved as Mercedes gave them a measuring look. She linked her arm through Kurt's and started to walk towards Kurt's class. Kurt looked behind to see Tina blushing as Josh offered her his arm only to be pushed out of the way by Berry. Kurt giggle and turned to talk to Mercedes.

"The boys apparently have contracted a little yellow fever." Kurt said as he smiled at the black girl on his arm.

Mercedes glanced back and smirked. "Artie has some competition. Those boys are very fine accessories for any woman. So tell me what the skinny is about you these days?"

Kurt nodded. It had been over a week since he had a gab session with Mercedes. "We will have to have a manicure night sometime this week. How about after glee?"

"Why not after school tonight? Usually you're free on Tuesdays." Mercedes said as she stepped into the classroom.

Kurt nodded. Most days it felt like Mercedes knew his schedules better than he did. "Dad missed our Friday meet up so he wants to have our TV night tonight."

"You and your dad are so tight." Mercedes smiled. She sat in her seat on the front of the class while Kurt moved to the back. Tina came in smiling. She took her seat next to Mercedes and then the two leaned in together and started to gossip. There was laughing between the two. The pair kept smiling and looking at the door.

Kurt sat down and pulled out his math homework hoping to get the few problems done before class started. History was not his favorite class especially since he couldn't follow the monotone voice of the teacher for very long. It was only fun when the teacher made you feel like you were part of the past which totally did not happen with Mr. Kirk. He had finished two problem when a shadow came over his desk. He smiled thinking it was Noah but complemented himself when the smile didn't fly off his face as the shadow turned out to be Finn.

"Hey, what are you up to?" Finn said as he took his seat in front of Kurt.

"I didn't get to finish my math last night so..." Kurt tried to cut off the conversation.

Finn did not get the subtle dismissal. "So what were you up to last night? You weren't at home last night when I dropped off the tickets."

Kurt looked up. "I was out with a friend." Noah could be called a friend, right? "I didn't get home until late."

"Oh, so what are you up to tonight?" Finn asked. The man was like a dog with a bone.

Kurt turned back to his book hoping that if he put enough boredom in his voice Finn would get the idea and turn around. "Just an old western and some TV with my dad."

Unfortunately, Finn's interest was peaked. "What western?"

Kurt realized his mistake. To lie or not to lie... He took a deep breath. "One of John Wayne's."

"Oh, man!" Finn exclaimed. "I love the Duke!"

Kurt let his head fall to the desktop. Of course, he loved John Wayne movies.

"I'm totally coming over tonight." Finn exclaimed.

Kurt's head snapped up. What the ... "Finn, dad and I usually..."

"Your dad is totally awesome. He wouldn't mind if I stopped by." Finn said.

"Yeah, but..." Kurt started to say only to be interrupted by the bell.

The teacher's voice rang through the class. "Turn to page 353. Today, we are going to learn about the Gettysburg Address. The words themselves..."

Kurt was fuming. How dare Finn cut in on his time with his dad? He wanted to bitch slap him. No, he wanted to pimp slap him. No! He wanted to do that weird kick that Jesse did that landed Noah on his butt. Yes, that is what he wanted to do.

The rest of the class slide by Kurt as he finished his math and thought of more violent ways of getting Finn out of his life. Finn waved goodbye and left the room with a smile on his face.

Kurt grabbed his bag, stuffed his books in and stalked out of the room. He didn't even wait for Mercedes and Tina to get up. He just flew out of the room in a rage. Looking around the hallway, Kurt watched Finn walk up to a few of the other football players and high fived them. Kurt tightened hold on his bag and he tried to make his way to Finn when he felt an arm drape over him.

He turned to see Noah moving him to his next class. "So princess, how's your day going?"

Kurt glared at the back of Finn's head and turned back to Noah. "Could you teach me that move that knocked you on your butt yesterday?"

Noah glared at Kurt. "I'm not teaching you to fight."

"No, just knock sense into someone." Kurt agreed.

Noah gave Kurt a curious look. "Anyone in particular?"

Kurt smiled evilly. "Maybe?"

Noah laughed. "You could be a very evil queen one day..."

Kurt beamed at Noah. "Why thank you."

"...But no." Noah finished.

Kurt pushed the jock off of him. "You're no fun."

Noah wiggled his eyebrow. "I have tons of women who would argue with you about that."

"Pig!" Kurt laughed.

"Oink, oink, princess." Noah said. "So I heard that you have a squad of bodyguards."

Kurt nodded and stopped just outside of his math class. "Yes. The guys just thought that I was too fabulous to be injured anymore."

Noah snorted and came closer to Kurt. "A thanks would be nice to hear."

Kurt nodded pretending to miss his point. "You're right. I'll thank Berry next time I see him."

Noah growled.

Kurt patted Noah's arm. "Thank you, Noah."

"Puck. Thank you, Puck." Noah said.

Kurt just smiled and went into the room. He was surprised when Noah followed him in. Usually, the only time that Noah went to class was for exams but today he sat right behind Kurt. As he sat down, Kurt realized that he hadn't even verbally destroyed Finn during the passing period. Oh well, there was always the next one.

Kurt, however, did not even think about Finn until lunch. Either Noah or one of the football players grabbed Kurt during every passing period. It was the first time he really had talked to many of them. After his 4th period, Berry and Josh were back.

Kurt didn't realize his bodyguards had changed until Berry started talking to him. "Dude, that Tina chick is hot."

Kurt glared slightly but didn't say anything about the dude comment. He was in too good of a mood to be pissed. "She's dating someone."

Berry flung an arm over Kurt's shoulder. "That sucks... Hey, Hummel, we kind of were wondering about something."

The anxious voice worried Kurt. "Okay, out with it?"

Josh looked side to side before ducking his head down. "Well, you know how we hacked your file? Well, we accidently saw your grades..." The jock stopped speaking.

Kurt halted. "And?"

"Well, we were wondering if you could help some of us with our school stuff." Josh finished quickly.

Were they trying to blackmail him into letting them cheat? He would take the dumpster any day.

The worry must have shown on his face because Berry turned and faced him. "Either way Hummel, we'll help you. We just need some help. Puck used to tutor us after school but now he's too busy."

Josh shook his head. "Ever since he lost his pool boy job, he's been all over the place." Josh looked at Kurt. "It's just that you're crazy smart and some of us know that our only chance out of here is getting out through school and football."

Berry picked up for his friend. "And the football we got but not the schooling. We're realistic. We aren't trying to get into some ridiculous Einstein school. Just like a community college or something. You know to make the folks proud."

Kurt had never thought about the goals of the others in his school. He thought that he was the only one who wanted to get out of Lima. He suddenly felt closer to his teammates. "Okay, I'll do it as long as it doesn't involve cheating."

"We wouldn't do that to you. So usually we had this sessions on Tuesday and Thursday after school." Josh said.

Kurt winced. "Well, I could hold one tonight for a little bit but I have other plans. Thursday's a no go because of glee."

Josh shook his head. "We'll do it after glee. It gives the guys time to figure out what they need help with and get some food."

The idea of food sounded good to Kurt. "I get free food?"

Berry started walking Kurt to his class again. "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

When they got to Kurt's class, Berry patted Kurt on the head and Josh pushed him in the door. They laughed at puzzled look Kurt gave them and walked away.

The next passing break started lunch for Kurt, which led him to a face to face to a very worried looking quarterback. Before he could ask what Finn had done, a mob of football players surrounded him. Most of them were Finn's friends so he knew who they were but what was puzzling was why they were so excited to see Kurt. It started to make sense when they started to say how much they were looking forward to movie night at his house.

Kurt immediately glared at Finn, who had wisely retreated to the other side of the cafeteria. As he was growling at Finn, he could not think of anyway out of having half of the football team at his house tonight. Kurt had to face the fact that there would be no Burt/Kurt time tonight. As he mourned his night, Kurt decided it wasn't fair if only Finn's football buddies came so he grabbed Berry and explained that study session was now at his house with an added movie night for anyone who wanted to stick around afterwards. The football player said he would spread the news. Kurt was then off to find Noah. After all, Noah was a football buddy at least. If the quarterback still couldn't stand to be in the same room as his former best friend, all the better really. Ralph Lauren, he loved being a diva.

When Noah saw that look on Kurt's face, it seemed like he knew something bad was going down. "What's with that look, Princess?"

"I was just wondering if you were free tonight." Kurt asked.

"As a bird." Noah said still seemingly uneasy.

Kurt smiled. "Good, because Finn decided to invite people to MY house for movie night and I decided I want you there."

Noah smirked. "And this has nothing to do with the fact that me and boy wonder are on the outs?"

"It didn't hurt." Kurt said honestly.

Noah shrugged. "Sure, why not. As long as nothing better comes up."

Kurt gave Noah a playful look. "There's nothing better than me coming up... trust me."

Noah laughed.

Kurt returned to his normal spot at the glee table. He took out his homework from that morning and started working on it. That night promised to be a long one.


	9. Chapter 9

Kurt got back to his house just as his dad did. Burt gave his son a wide smile. "So you excited about tonight?" Burt asked.

"Yeah about that dad... You see I told Finn about the western and he invited himself over." Kurt stated and then paused to see Burt's reaction.

Kurt thought he saw some disappointment in his dad's eyes but replaced too soon with excitement that Kurt thought he must have been mistaken.

"That's fine, kid. The more the merrier." Burt said as he walked over to the fridge and grabbed a beer.

Kurt laughed uneasily. "Funny you should that dad, since Finn invited most of the football team over to watch, too."

"What?" Burt said. "I'm not having all those kids in here messing up our house. The last time they were here, they put our lawn furniture on the roof."

Kurt winced. That was not one of his fonder memories of his teammates. "Yes, but now in the interest of team camaraderie I couldn't say no. Didn't you say this morning that you were happy that I was part of the football team? Well, this male bonding stuff is a part of that whole football experiences or so I've been told. I'm sure it will only be for one night."

Burt didn't look too happy about the change in plans. "One night."

Kurt jumped and gave his dad a hug. "Thank you dad from saving me from being a pariah. I'll go set up. They should be bring food."

Burt yelled out. "I get first pick of seats."

"Of course. I get seconds. Oh yeah, some of the guys are coming over to study before the movie so could you let them in?" Kurt said as he ran down to his room. His room was really bare right now. He just had his dresser, vanity, bed, stereo system, sofa, TV, and video games. He really had to fix the modern spartan look in there. He moved the chairs and sofa into a circle joined with his bed. He figured it wasn't going to be that many people so he didn't have to worry about space. He took off his make-up from that morning and replaced it with a much lighter layer. He also changed from his extremely fashionable outfit to a much looser but still in stylish look. Just because he was having people over didn't mean he wasn't going to be comfie in his own house. Okay, so usually he watch TV with this dad in his PJs but he had to be a good host and jammies were not in the good host to-wear list.

He heard that doorbell ring and went to open his bedroom door. The first two people in were Berry and Josh followed by half a dozen players.

Anderson looked around Kurt's room. "Dude, you're place is sick."

"Do not call me dude. You can call me, Hummel or Kurt but not dude, buddy, or player." Kurt said as he sat behind his desk.

He heard Noah's laugh in the back of the crowd. "No one would mistake you for a player, Hummel."

"You want tutoring?" More like you care about grades?

Another teammate answered for Noah. "No way. Puck, here is a genius. Doesn't show up for class and still gets A's."

Kurt gave Noah a questioning look.

Noah smirked. "Me and the teachers have an...agreement."

The group started laughing like a bunch of dirty old men so Kurt didn't want to ask anymore questions about the agreement. It probably would make him jump into the shower to get the filth off. "So how does this work?"

"Well, I set up days where people would come for certain classes certain days and others for other classes. Plus some guys got their crap down so I toss them a guy or two to teach what they know." Noah said as he started to circle around Kurt's room, picking up things that amused him.

Kurt nodded. He watched as Noah seemed to pause a little longer at photos but didn't linger anywhere in particular. "Okay, how about Tuesdays are for History, Math and English and Thursdays are for Science, Spanish and miscellaneous? Does that work?"

The group agreed for the most part. "Hey, Hummel. I'm good at History so I can help there." Powell said.

Berry claimed Math while Josh called for Computers. Kurt insisted that he do Spanish while Anderson said he could handle Science and Math if needed. The group then went through each part of the past week's classes of History then Math. They went slowly, stopping when either the group leader or Kurt said that there was a mistake or a point that had been missed. They had only gotten through half of the Math when Burt announced that the pizza was there. The announcement of food got Kurt out of his seat and up the stairs before the others had a chance to packed up their books. They found Kurt pouncing on his toes with a plate in his hand watching the pizza being opened.

Noah laughed and motioned for the boys to wait before trying to get a slice. "Don't get between Hummel and his food. You liable to loose a finger."

Burt nodded as if Noah had shared a great sagely knowledge much to Kurt's annoyance. Yet it wasn't far from the truth so he didn't complain. Kurt grabbed a slice from all five pizzas before wandering to the living room. The room was huge and had plenty of space for the guys to veg out in. Kurt turned the TV to comedy central, which had a rerun of the Daily Show running.

The boys came in the room the oh-ing and ah-ing before finding seats on the floor. Noah sat next to Kurt and on the other side of Kurt was his dad, which was perfect seating arrangement for the teen. Kurt had finished his first round of pizza when he heard the doorbell. He motioned his dad to sit back down since he was getting up for more food anyway. He opened the door to see Finn and his friends. Kurt motioned them towards the living room while he went and got more pizza. He returned to see his spot was still free. From the glare that Finn was shooting Noah, the mohawk sporting teen's presence was the main reason for the opening on the couch still being there.

Oh, how Kurt loved when a plan fell together so wonderfully. Burt put on the John Wayne movie and the room quieted down as they turned towards the screen. It turned out to be McClintock, which was a hilarious twist on the normal western John Wayne did. There were times when the whole room was filled with laughter. The only downside was that Noah had to leave halfway through. Kurt was sad to see him, especially since that meant that there was an open spot next to him. Noah motioned to Berry and the running-back jumped into Noah's spot. Noah winked Kurt and left. By the time it was done, most of the guys were amazed not all old movie were snooze fests and stated that they totally wanted to do movie night at the Hummel's again. The guys from the study group helped clean up and thanked both Kurt and Burt for letting them come over. Burt smiled at their thoughtfulness. It seemed that at least some of the jocks were getting onto Burt's good side. Luckily, Finn had left with his friends so when Kurt's bodyguards cleared out the two Hummels were alone.

Burt turned to Kurt. "That wasn't too bad. They seemed like nice guys."

Kurt nodded. "They have their moments."

Burt tried to suppress a yawn. Kurt smiled. "Go to sleep, dad."

Burt agreed that it was pretty late. "I'm not as young as I used to be."

Kurt quipped back. "No one is. That's the horror of aging."

Burt's laughter was heard as he walked to his room. "Night, son."

Kurt replied back. "Night, paw." He grabbed an extra few pieces of pizza and went down to his room. He didn't have much homework left. Definitely nothing that couldn't be pushed until tomorrow's lunch. He started to move his room back to its normal orientation. He then took off the little bit of make-up he had on and put on a banana avocado mask. It was tasty as well as good for you. He started to flip through his Spanish book as he thought about how becoming close to the 'badass' of the school and landed him so many new friend.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

Kurt bounced out of bed the next morning. Not being a morning person, this rarely happened. Usually, it was because of some amazing sale at one of his favorite designer stores or maybe the chance to wear a particular spectacular outfit that he had been saving for a special occasion. Today, it was just because he had gotten enough sleep, his skin felt fabulous, and he had hung out with his dad. So there were many football players present during the little bonding time but in a weird way Kurt was sure that they had helped.

Kurt got ready for school and about forty-five minutes later he was in the kitchen. His dad must have decided to cook that morning before work since there was hash browns, bacon and eggs waiting for him. Apparently, his dad had a sleepless night. It happened sometimes and usually the elder Hummel would decide early in the night to give up on sleep started doing odd things around the house. One of the only plus sides for Kurt was the prepared breakfast he had instead of cereal. It hadn't happened in a few months so Kurt didn't worry too much about his dad. Burt would be back to sleeping through small explosions tonight.

After he finished his breakfast, he grabbed his lunch and went out the door. On the way to school, he stopped by the corner bakery and grabbed two dozen assorted donuts for his bodyguards as a thank you gesture. When he got to school, he saw Michaels and Anderson waiting for him next to the parking lot. He opened the top box and smiled as the boys grabbed a few each claiming that they had growing bodies. As they made their way to the school, Kurt saw Karofsky waiting for him. Kurt tensed even with the two boys next to him. He didn't know how strong the new bond they forged was so they could easily flip to Karofsky's side if pushed. Kurt noticed that Michaels didn't even seemed to be paying attention but was texting someone as they approached.

"Wow, the fairy is now getting an escort to his dumpster appointment. Nice job guys." Karofsky sneered at Kurt. Only practice allowed Kurt not to flinch or step backwards.

Anderson spoke up. "Actually Karofsky, we're here to make sure our kicker doesn't get hurt."

Michaels nodded. "The little guy's not so bad."

Karofsky scoffed. "You two are going all faggy, are you? Because it doesn't matter which fag goes into the dumpster as long as one gets in there."

Kurt stepped forward. He wasn't going to let either Michaels or Anderson get tossed in. He was used to the humiliation and the other boys weren't. It was enough that they had tried. But before he could open his mouth, an arm appeared over Karofsky shoulder.

Noah was smiling wide with what seemed like the rest of the football team behind him minus Finn and a few other guys. "Did I just hear you volunteer for a dumpster dive?"

Karofsky turned to look at Noah. "No, I was just telling Michaels and Anderson not to pick the fairy over the team."

Noah started to circle the larger teen with the same look Freddy Krueger gave his victims before he sliced them. "Well, funny thing is I seem to remember you letting guys though the line the last game and Hummel...he actually scored with his kicks and helped us win the game. By that logic, it would be better for the team if you took the dive."

Karofsky stepped back as Noah advanced. "No way, man. That fag's not better than me."

Kurt heard Berry speak up. "Hey, Puck. Have you ever heard that guys who hate gays usually want it up the ass?"

Kurt grimaced at the visual.

Noah smiled got even eviler. "Yeah, called latent homosexuality and the only way they can express their want for meat is by beat up on guys who are out and proud. Is that what this is? You secretly go home and jerk off to pictures of Hummel with his shirt off?"

Kurt was about to throw up. The idea of Karofsky jerking off was enough to make anyone vomit but to a picture of him. Kurt shivered at the disgusting image. Darn him for being such a visual person. Anytime something was described, it just popped into his head.

Karofsky looked out over the crowd of jocks trying to find a friendly face. Noah noticed his frantic search and laughed. "Are you looking for Azimio? Is he your little boyfriend? Aw, we should support you in your love." Noah turned to the crowd. "Come on down, Azimio."

Azimio looked like he was going to make a run for it when he was grabbed by a few of the guys and pushed next to Karofsky. Noah smiled at the pair, who seemed much smaller than usual. "Don't they make a cute couple, boys?"

The jocks yelled out their agreement. A few even made kissing sounds and went aww.

Noah leaned in real close to the duo. His voice came out as a low hiss. "I don't care if you catch Hummel giving the whole team blowjobs, you're not going to touch a hair on his head. He's protected by not just me but the whole team. So what if he like a little cock between his cheeks? As long as he doesn't try to rape your ugly asses, I don't see that it's any of your business."

Karofsky tried to speak when he was hit hard by Noah. Kurt was pretty sure he heard the cracking of bone.

Noah growled. "Did I say you could talk yet? Where was I? Oh yeah, your ugly asses. Hummel's probably got better taste than that anyway so it shouldn't be a problem. Just 'cus he's gay doesn't make it right that you beat on him. It make you bigots and assholes."

Azimio muttered something.

Noah glared. "Do you want to speak up?"

Azimio looked cautiously at Noah. "You used to beat the shit out of him, too."

Noah shook his head. "Humiliate, embarrass, harass, and torment, yeah but I never tried to hurt the kid. I didn't do it because he was queer either. It's 'cus he was too easy to get a rise out of. I mean look at him."

The group's attention switched to Kurt, who was still red in the face from Noah's description of him giving the team blow jobs. The fact that all those eyes were now on him did not help.

"He turns odd red colors and it is funny as hell. But at the end of the day, I don't leave him black and blue. You two morons do so you are going to apologize and thank Kurt for the donuts."

Azimio took as step towards Kurt looking somewhat contrite until Karofsky stopped him. "No." Karofsky said adamantly. "No way, I'm apologizing to the fag."

Noah looked a deep breath in. "Then you leave me no choice. Boys, get him into the dumpster."

It took about half a dozen guys to throw Karofsky into the dumpster as Noah supervised. Kurt watch in horror as one of his secret fantasies came to life. It kind of sucked that it didn't feel as good as he thought it would. Darn, him being a good person.

Noah leaned over the dumpster. "You now have an appointment with the dumpster until you make things right by Hummel. Me and the boys will be waiting." He turned to Azimio. "You want to join him?"

Azimio shook his head and skirted away from Noah. He slowly moved towards Kurt, leery of the guys on either side of the small teen.

"Um, Hummel, I'm sorry for... you know... the stuff I did. I'm promised not to do it again." Azimio looked back at Noah, who still seemed to be glaring.

Kurt felt bad for Azimio. The black behemoth never started the trouble, he just seemed to follow Karofsky's footsteps. Not that Azimio didn't get his jabs in but without Karofsky, he looked a little lost. "Do you want a donut? They're fresh from La-La-Bakeries."

Azimio looked a little confused but softly answered back. "I love that place. Do you have any ones with sprinkles?"

Kurt opened the top box again. "Yup. Have at them." He looked over Azimio's shoulder and said, "Donuts for everyone but it's first come first served."

The boxes were ripped from Kurt's hands as the football players made grabs for the donuts. Kurt laughed as he watched the guys play keep away with the boxes. Kurt decided he would grab more for the guys later in the day since they seemed to like them so much. As he was walking to his locker, Kurt realized he didn't have that much time before class started. When he opened his locker, he noticed that Noah was talking the Azimio in what seemed to be a friendly manner. At the end of whatever he was saying, Noah patted Azimio's back and the linebacker smiled slightly. Azimio walked passed Kurt, nodded at him, and went his not so merry way.

Kurt turned to see Noah inches from him causing Kurt to startle and step back. "Again with the creeping me out."

Noah shook his head. "Still no thank you?"

Kurt smiled. "Thank you, Noah." Kurt laughed at Noah's disgusted face. "No seriously thank you. Other than the part where I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole, it was quite nice."

Noah beamed proudly. "I tried."

Kurt closed his locker and started towards his class feeling safe for the first time at his high school. "Though next time, you could leave out the blowjob references."

Noah pretended to be confused. "I only made one blowjob reference." He looked like he was deep in thought. "Oh, you made a mistake."

Kurt looked at Noah questioningly.

Noah stopped walking as they had reached Kurt's class. He leaned forward. "The comment about your cheeks was about how about how you like it up the ass. But I guess cheeks are cheeks. Whatever floats your boat, princess."

Kurt turned deep red as he watched the bronzed colored jock turn and walk to his class or the nurse or wherever he disappeared to. Kurt tried to calm himself by taking a few deep breaths. Past experience had taught him that Mr. Kirk did not mind if someone came in late as long as they were doing well in the class but if he came in as red as he was now, he didn't think he would ever calm down.

A minute or two later, he finally got the courage to open the door and quickly walk to his seat. In spite of prepping for the stares he was given for simply showing up late, Kurt turned red again. He mouthed sorry to Mr. Kirk as he sat down and started to get his things out for History.

The class ended without any excitement and Kurt was finally back to normal skin tones. As he was packing up, Kurt realized that Finn was standing in front of his desk. He looked up with a questioning look.

Finn was a mixture of confused, annoyed, worried, and well confused because he was Finn. "Hey, why were you late for class?"

Kurt put on his bag and started to walk by the tall jock as he spoke. "I was having a bonding experience with some of the football gang."

Finn put his hand on Kurt arm and was puzzled when Kurt quickly brushed it off. Kurt had been fine with physical contract that Finn was prone to at times but apparently the change in feelings had cause a change in dealing with the taller teen's touch. "Kurt, if the guys are giving you trouble..."

Kurt shrugged. "It's been handled." Kurt saw Berry and Josh walking his way. "There are two of my knights in shining armor now."

Kurt noticed that they were holding one of the boxes from the bakery. He quickly moved away from Finn and over to the pair.

Josh saw him and smiled. "My man, these are awesome."

He opened the box to show that more than half of the donuts were still there. Apparently, it had become a winner takes all game with the pastries.

"Guys, you were supposed to share." Kurt said as he shook his head. Maybe he could talk the coach into letting them have some donuts before practice today. Considering all that they had done for him this morning, Kurt was willing to make the effort and show how much them standing behind him meant to him.

Berry moaned as he bit into another donut. "But they're so good."

Realizing he was getting no where, Kurt just shook his head in dismay. At least, they enjoyed their sugary treats. He just didn't want to be around them when the sugar wore off and they crashed.

The rest of the day was filled with trying to stay away from Finn so he wouldn't get a 'I'll protect you' speech, which was a day late and a dollar short, and pleading with Nancy from La-La-Bakeries to make more donuts so he could have them for football practice. Both actually worked out well for Kurt since he didn't see Finn until he was walking into the locker room with four dozen donuts.

He stopped in the coach's office before trying to give them to the team but Coach Tanaka just grabbed a chocolate donut and motioned him on. He went into the middle of the locker room and tried to get the guys' attention but his voice was over powered by the booming noise of the locker room. Anderson finally yelled out when he saw the familiar boxes in Kurt's hands.

All eyes were on Kurt... well more the boxes as he tested their gaze by moving the boxes a little side to side and noticed all the guys' heads moved with them. "I heard that not everyone got some this morning so I ordered more. But only if you share." He looked pointedly at Josh and Berry, who were stepping eagerly towards him.

He put them down on the bench and went to change. He could hear the boys messing around as well as a few shouts of thanks. He had just finished dressing when Noah came up to him. "You know you don't have to bribe them."

Kurt smiled. "It's not bribery. It's positive reinforcement."

Noah motioned for him to continue.

Kurt grabbed his helmet and the pair walk out to the field. "I read about it when I was begging my dad for a dog. If you give the dog a treat after he does something good, he'll associate the good behavior with the treat so then he'll is more likely to do the good behavior. I found that it works well on humans, too."

Noah was laughing pretty hard at the last comment. "So you're say with enough food, you could rule the world."

Kurt lightly hit Noah. "Don't give away my plan for world domination."

"Never, princess." Noah saluted Kurt.

Kurt shook his head. "You're supposed to bow for a princess."

Noah laughed and mocked bowed with his hand doing circles in front of him. Instead of straightening up, Noah leaned over when he noticed his laces were untied. "So what kind of dog did you want?"

Kurt sighed and said dreamily. "A teacup chihuahua. Everyone has little yorkies and I wanted something different."

Noah looked as him with an incredulous look. "You wanted a tinier version of a dog that can already be punted across a football field. Heck, you could probably punt it farther than that."

Kurt cried out. "They're adorable!"

"They're rodents. You need a real dog like an Alaskan Malamutes, or a Siberian Husky or maybe a Rottweiler. Yeah, we could get you a rott and teach it bite Karofsky. It would be awesome." Noah said excitedly.

"No." Kurt said as he was laughed.

"Think about it." Noah said as he ran off to join the rest of the team for warm ups. Kurt put on his helmet and got to his spot. He stretched as he thought of Karofsky running down the street being chased by an excited rott.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

Kurt was waiting for Noah at his car just like on Monday. He kind of knew his way to the fight club but it would be more fun if they car pooled. Noah nodded at him when he saw Kurt. "You better have a change of cloths 'cus you're gonna be practicing today."

Kurt looked down at what he was wearing. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to be able to move well in them. He then remembered he had a pair of his dad's cloths from a camping trip they had taken in the truck of his Navigator. He told Noah to wait while he went, grabbed the cloths and walked back.

Noah turned on his truck and started to back out. "So who did you get for glee?"

Kurt shook his head. "You're not suppose to reveal the name. It's part of the fun."

Noah snorted as he started to drive. "I got Finn. I got this great song too."

Noah started swaying in his seat. The mohawk teen started to sing softly

"Here we are dear old friend,

You and I drunk again.

Laughs have been had and tears have been

Maybe the whiskey's gone to my head..."

Noah started belting out the next part of the song.

"But if I were gay

I would give you my heart

And if I were gay

You'd be my work of art

And if I were gay

We would swim in romance

But I'm not gay

So get your hands out of my pants."

Kurt had thought that it was a very sweet sounding song for duration of the first verse. When Noah started to sing the chorus, however, Kurt gasped in surprise and nearly fell over in his seat laughing.

Noah paused for a second as he watched Kurt gasp for air. "Oh, it gets better."

He started to sing softly again.

"It's not that I don't care

I do.

I just don't see myself

In you.

Another time another scene

I'd be right behind you if you know what I mean."

Noah wiggled his eyebrow suggestively as Kurt when he sang "if you know what I mean" causing the smaller teen to giggle. Noah laughed and started belting out the chorus again.

"'Cause if I were gay,

I would give you my soul

And if I were gay

I would give you my whole...being

And if I were gay

We would tear down the walls

But I'm not gay

So won't you stop cupping my ...hand.

"We've never hugged

We've never kissed

I've never been intimate

With your fist

But you have open brand new doors

Get over here and drop your drawers!"

Noah finished the song by extending the last word for as long as possible and going up and down his vocal range. Next to him, Kurt was almost blue from laughing so hard. The truck had just reached McDonalds and Noah calmly order over Kurt's laughter. He just order the same things as last time for the pair of them. When the cashier looked at Kurt confused by the unending laughter, Noah just mournfully looked at the man and grabbed their food. Kurt, finally, started to calm down when they left the fast food parking lot. He grabbed his half of the food and tried to eat without cracking up.

Noah smiled. "The song is 'If I Were Gay' by Stephen Lynch. That dude rocks. So you think that it'll work?"

Kurt nodded "Yes, absolutely. I think there is no reason why you shouldn't do that song tomorrow. Only Finn killing you with Rachel's help and Mr. Schu having a heart attack. No good reason at all."

Noah laughed. "Well, then I'm set for tomorrow."

Kurt shook his head. He had nearly finished eating by the time they reached the club's parking lot. He waited for Noah to finish before getting out. Kurt started bouncing in his seat as he thought about his own song for glee.

Noah finished his sandwich and was finishing his drink as he got out of the car and looked at Kurt curiously. "What's with you?"

Kurt shook his head. "Just excited about tomorrow's glee. My song is perfect and it even has props."

Noah locked the truck as Kurt got out and shook his head. "Props? Dude, you're so gay."

Kurt laughed and seemingly skipped to the door of the club. As he opened it, he saw Mac in the middle of the room pinning Jesse to the mat, who was wiggling to get out of the hold. They didn't notice the eyes watching them until Noah yelled out, "Get a room."

Jesse looked up and smiled at the pair. "Dude, we own this place. You get out."

Mac shook his head and got up. He pointed to Kurt and motioned him to follow. Once they were in Mac's office, Mac whipped the shirt Kurt was wearing off, causing the teen to shriek. Mac didn't seem to notice as he checked Kurt's bruises and seemed satisfied at how they looked. He motioned to his desk where there was a form waiting for Kurt. "We'll forget today but no more showing up without permission."

Kurt glanced at the paper and put it in his bag. He also grabbed his shirt and tossed it back into his bag then grabbed his dad's oversized shirt to wear. Mac had an amazing way of completely throwing him for a loop. "Can I go now?"

Mac's answer was just a nod at the door. Kurt rushed out to see Jesse and Noah fooling around. The two of them were in the same position that Jesse pinned Noah in except Jesse was on bottom and Noah was on top. Noah's right forearm was just under Jesse's neck just like Jesse had when Noah had admitted defeat. Jesse slowly grabbed Noah's right wrist with his left hand, delivered as pretend hit to the face with his right elbow and flipped them so Noah was on his back. He then let go.

Noah got up and nodded. Replayed the motions with Jesse as they both were standing. Jesse smiled when Noah finished and clapped him on his back. "So you totally can get out of that next time, dude and we can fuck...I mean mess around for longer."

There was a bellow of "jar" from the office. Jesse looked like a kid caught by the principal. "Come on, I've been good for a week. I deserve to keep some of my money in my pocket even if I let out one little swear. It's no fair. He has the ears of a fucking bat."

Another "jar" came through the air but this one seemed a little more amused. Jesse just grumbled a bit then smiled naughtily to Noah. Taking a deep breath, "I guess I'll just have to go settle up with the boss, huh?"

Noah chuckled. "Gross."

Kurt seemed a little confused but didn't question the comment as Noah came up to him. "Hey, we should probably figure out which group you should go into before the kids come in."

Noah made Kurt try to break some simple holds that he was put the smaller boy in. Kurt squirmed a lot but usually Noah could keep a firm hold on him. After the fifth failure to break a hold, Kurt's confidence wavered. He became sullen and snappish. Noah noticed the changed and stopped the tests.

"Princess, it's your first time trying to do this. It's not a big deal that you suck." Noah said, probably trying to reassure Kurt.

Kurt's frowned deeply. He wouldn't always have the football team to defend him. He need to learn how to take care of himself. He wanted to be independent.

"Hey, there's no crying at the club... Okay so there is crying, but only if there is really manly pain with it." Noah said.

Kurt snorted but a small smile started to creep onto his face.

Noah continued. "So I can't put you with the beginner because as much as it would be youtube worthy for you to get beat up by a bunch of five year olds, I am sure Mac would object."

Kurt gave Noah a weird look.

Noah shrugged. "I know it's weird but I think the old bear likes you and since I don't want to be maimed I have to nice. So you are going to be my training buddy until we can figure out something to do with you."

Kurt's eyes widened in horror. "I can't fight you."

Noah smiled. "Of course not, I'm da bomb." He made a show of dusting himself off causing Kurt to lighten up a little. "But that way, I can show the class moves on you and you can practice on me without it seeming too obvious to the kids that... well... you suck."

Kurt frowned. "You know, I never know if I should kick you or kiss you."

Noah walked away in what seemed to be mock horror considering the smile on his face and the twinkle in his eyes. "Princess, there are children. Think of the children."

They walked over to where the class had started to form their lines. Noah put his hand on Kurt's shoulder and gently pushed the slighter teen to the back of the class. "Come on, get into a line for stretches."

For the next hour, Kurt was flipped, mock punched, and mock kicked. It would have sucked if he hadn't flipped Noah once and punched him probably a little too hard on jaw. Yet at the end of the night, he realized why Noah enjoyed fighting so much. It was kind of cool knowing that he could defend himself even with little as he just learn. After the kids left, Kurt went through some simple hand escapes before deciding it was time to go. He walked over to the office with Noah after they were done to pick up his bag and change of cloths. Kurt noticed that most of the parents had walked to the office before picking up their kids tonight and wondered what was going on. Noah went straight to Mac with his hand out. Mac had been sitting in front of Jesse, who was relaxing on the medical bench. Noah just shook his head at the sight.

"Come on, Mac. I needs my moneys."

Mac walked over to the desk and pulled out a few hundred dollar bills and handed the whole thing to Noah. Kurt's eyes bugged out a little seeing so much cash just being handed over matter of fact. "Ms. Fines didn't have the money still but she says next time."

Noah nodded as he counted out the cash. It seemed somewhere between twelve to fifteen. He then counted out five bills and handed them to Mac. "Pleasure doing business. Come on, princess. Time to head out."

Kurt waved goodbye to Mac and Jesse as he followed Noah out. Noah was walking very quickly to his truck. He appeared to be very excited about his payday and concerning how much he had in his pocket, Kurt could understand. The other teen had about a thousand dollars floating in his back pocket.

As they sat in the car, curiosity got the better of Kurt. "So what are you going to do with your payday?"

Noah didn't even stop a beat when he said. "Give it to my mom."

Kurt's jaw dropped. "What?"

That caused Noah to glare at Kurt. "Look, Hummel, not everyone has it easy like you. My mom had to raise two kids after my dead beat dad not only left us but emptied the bank account and put lots of crap on their credit cards. Ever since he left, it's been hard for my mom to keep us afloat so I help when I can."

Kurt felt like he wanted to slap Noah and give him a hug at the same time. He had lost a parent too but Noah was right that his dad did make his life comfortable. A tense silence came over the two of them. Neither knew what to say.

Noah took a deep breath in. "Sorry, I didn't mean the easy comment. I know it's not easy being the gay kid..."

Kurt interrupted. "My mom's dead."

Noah stopped talking. After a few minutes, he finally spoke. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Kurt brought his knees up to his face. "I was really young when it happened but I remember her being really sick and my dad crying a lot. Then she was gone."

The silence was much more somber this time but bearable. Noah again was the first one to speak. "I knew your mom was gone since Finn's mom was dating your dad but I thought she left like my dad or her and your dad got divorced or something. That sucks."

Kurt nodded. "So does your dad leaving. He missed out on a good kid."

Noah softly said. "Two, I have sister."

Kurt nodded. There wasn't a word spoken for the rest of the trip. Both teens were trying to find anything to say but it seemed like the compassionate silence was the best. When they reached the school, Noah put a hand on Kurt's shoulder and squeezed tightly. Kurt smiled and covered the hand. After a few seconds, Noah let go and Kurt let his hand slip away. Kurt got out of Noah's car and went home.

He didn't really remember much about the drive or the short talk he had with his dad when he got home. His mind kept on going back to those few moments where he actually felt connected to Noah. In a weird way, they were connected by being half orphans. Though the same could be said about Finn, Kurt felt that had it been Finn it wouldn't have been as comfortable or comforting as it had been with Noah. Finn would have tried to awkwardly fill in the gaps with words that didn't need to be spoken.

His mom was one of the few things that Kurt didn't talk about. Kurt's mom's death was lost in the everyday ups and downs of life, much like Noah's dad leaving. Dads just left. Moms just died. It would be the talk of the town for a day or two. Maybe a mention a few years later if someone asked but for the most part people went back to their normal lives. There were only a few that seemed to notice or who had even changed. The few who knew that there were scars on the hearts of those who were left behind.

Kurt fell asleep wishing he could ease the pain of two little boys who lost someone they loved. Whether by choice or cancer, it still hurt.


	10. Chapter 10

Kurt tossed and turned all night. He would get a few minutes of sleep and then wake right back up. The only reason he was even getting out of bed instead of asking his dad for a sick day was because of glee later that day. He had worked too hard on the perfect song for Noah to give up now. Kurt skipped part of his morning make-up routine and decided to go with a more natural look that day. He felt a little stronger and didn't feel like he had to hide his flaws as much. Not that his face had flaws. After all, he had taken excellent care of it until Noah snuck into his life. It had taken him a while to get all his props into a bag mostly because they were all over the place but he was still very ahead of his usual schedule.

He didn't feel that hungry after the confusing, depressing ride home last night so he grabbed a banana and left the house. While he drove, he noted that the sky seemed to agree with his mood as it was dark and gloomy as well. He noticed that there was only one person waiting for him and it was his mohawk sporting friend. He got out of his car and watched Noah walk up to meet him. Noah grabbed Kurt's props bag and flung it over his shoulder. Kurt looked closely at the other boy and noted that he was also worse for wear that morning. It made Kurt feel better knowing that he wasn't the only one who had had a long night.

"So what's in the bag?" Noah asked.

Kurt tried to smile as if it was any other day. "I'm not telling you. It would ruin the surprise."

Noah smiled softly. "How about you tell me and I'll pretend to be surprised?"

Kurt's smile became more genuine. "Only if you sing 'If I Were Gay' to Finn in the cafeteria today."

Noah laughed for a second. "I'd get killed by so many people."

Kurt laughter sounded a little hollow to his ears. He tried to play to the other teen's off kilter sense of humor as he said, "Yeah but it would sure be a way to go."

Noah looked at Kurt with a mischievous grin. "Nope, I want to go out in an orgy with two midgets and a true hotty on my cock."

Kurt wrinkled his nose. "There's not enough soap to get that image out of my head."

Noah laughed as the pair walked up to the dumpster. Noah stopped them there. "Hey, did Karofsky ever apologize?"

Kurt snorted. "That'll happen when I start wearing Walmart T-shirts."

Noah whipped out his phone and sent out a message. Kurt looked at him inquisitively. Noah let Kurt see the outgoing message. It said, "Appointment stands."

He gave looked back at Noah. "Who did that get sent to?"

"The whole football team minus Finn, who I think blocked my messages a few days after he found out I was Quinn's babydaddy." Noah said.

Kurt thought back to the day before. "So that's how you knew Karofsky was about to throw me into the dumpster again."

Noah looked oddly at Kurt. "Did you think your special fairy power sent out a wave of panic to the football team?"

Kurt pushed Noah. "No, I just hadn't thought about it much. I was too happy about not being in the dumpster and trying to figure out how not to be nicknamed the gay tomato for the next two years to figure out how everyone knew where to be."

Noah laughed. "Gay tomato. I am so using that."

Kurt was about to say something when he noticed Karofsky being lead out of the school by a dozen guys from football. He didn't look happy about the situation at all. Kurt moved closer to Noah, a little frightened about the look in the football player's eyes.

Noah didn't notice Kurt's movements. He was too focused on Karofsky. "So are you going to apologize?"

"No," Karofsky said, "And if you toss me in there, I'll tell the principal who did it."

Noah laughed. "So you are saying that after one day, you can't hack it but Hummel managed for a year and a half. Dude, you are weak. Boys, you know what to do."

Karofsky was put into the dumpster and the team dispersed. Noah went over to the dumpster. "I'll see you tomorrow, same time, same place."

Kurt walked with Noah to his locker, where he put his props until they were needed later. Hopefully, his song turned out half as good as Noah's last night. Kurt started giggling just thinking about it.

Noah gave him an odd look. "What's so funny?"

"Oh if I were gay..." Kurt started singing.

Noah's eyes widened comically. "NO! No singing that song to me especially at school."

Kurt smirked. "Oh, so there are places I might be able to sing it too you?"

Noah shook his head vigorously. "NO! Sing it to Finn. Only to Finn."

Kurt tried to frown. "Aww, Noah. It's like you don't love me anymore. Come on let's hug this out." He used the jocks words against him and took a step towards Noah.

Noah turned and booked it down the hall, leaving Kurt leaning against his locker clutching his sides as he laughed.

"Hey Kurt, what's so funny?" Kurt heard Finn say behind him.

The voice sobered Kurt up quickly. "Nothing much, Finn. How was your night?"

"But it looked really funny." Finn persisted.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "It was a 'have to be there' joke, Finn. Really, it wasn't that funny."

Kurt noticed Josh and Anderson coming down the hall and saw his chance to make an escape. "Hey, I have to go talk to Josh and Anderson so I'll see you in class."

Not waiting for Finn's response, Kurt closed his locker and walked briskly over to the boys. "Hey, guys, what's up?"

Josh shrugged, "Nothing much but it seems like you just pissed off our quarterback."

Kurt looked back to see Finn looking in their direction annoyed. He knew he was being a little rude but he didn't feel like spoon feeding information to Finn because he decided he deserved to know. "Not a big deal."

Anderson looked at Finn and then back to Kurt. He moved Kurt so that Finn's view of Kurt was blocked by his body. "Look Hummel, I know Hudson's not like Karofsky. He wouldn't intentionally hurt you but since his mom's dating your pops, he could make things uncomfortable."

Kurt snorted thinking about how it already was uncomfortable for him.

Anderson started to push Kurt down the hall. "No, seriously, Hudson holds a grudge. Look at Puck."

Kurt's eyes flew to Anderson's face. "What did he do?"

"Nothin' serious. Just made everyone take sides. I mean Puck knew he was in the wrong with that whole baby-daddy thing but Hudson wouldn't let it lie. He kept pushing and pushing until most of the team started to say he was right just to get him to shut up. He kept dissin' Puck's tries to bury the hatchet. We all hated choosing but Puck never got pissed at us. That made us all feel more like dicks especially since Puck would go the distance for anyone of us. I mean Hudson's our quarterback but Puck's more like our captain. This whole thing with you and Karofsky made him pulled any rank over Hudson. He hadn't done that for a long time. Long before this whole baby momma thing happened. It made us feel like he wasn't as pissed at us as we were at ourselves."

Josh nodded. "That's why we didn't tell Finn what was going on. He'd probably bring up how Puck wronged him and that we shouldn't listen to Puck because of one drunken mistake." Josh paused. "Don't get me wrong. I'm Finn's friend but I hate him a little for making me choose especially since he would go on and on about how Puck is an asshat. It's even worse when Finn is drunk. It makes you seriously want to knock the guy out just so he would shut up. It's not that Finn is trying to be an ass, it's more like he only sees two sides of things: his side and his arch-nemesis, who's played by Puck. Everything his arch-nemesis does is wrong and everything he does is right."

Kurt was a little worried. He hadn't thought of this angle when he set up Carole and his dad. Okay, so he was a little too blown away by Finn's good qualities to really think rationally but he didn't need a step-brother with ruining his life. He started to breath quickly and became flushed.

Anderson looked questioningly at Kurt then at Josh. "Dude, I think we broke him. Go grab, Puck."

Josh dashed down the hallway trying to find Noah while Anderson tried to calm Kurt down. "Calm down. We were just joshing with you."

The five minute bell rang as Noah got to the two teens' sides. "What's going on?"

"Dude, we broke Hummel. I'm sorry. Don't kill me." Josh said as he jogged up next to the group right behind Noah.

Noah looked at the two jocks and glared. "What did you do?"

Anderson answered as he backed away. "Nothing, we just put him in the know about Hudson."

"Meaning..." Puck growled.

"You know about how he holds a grudge and all. That's it." Josh said following Anderson's lead and moving slowly away.

"Both of you, beat it. Come on, princess. We have to talk." Noah said leading Kurt to the boys' bathroom. Noah checked if it was empty before locking the main door.

Kurt was still freaking out about his possible step-brother being so petty that he didn't really notice the change of venue for his freak out.

Noah tried to call Kurt out of his daze but finally resorted to pinching the smaller boy. Kurt jumped back and stared at Noah. "What was that for?"

"Oh, so you're finally with me, princess?" Noah said.

Kurt looked around the bathroom confused. "What am I doing in here?"

"You're in here because Josh and Jason freaked you out and I get to set the record straight." Noah said as he paced.

"Jason?" Kurt questioned.

"Anderson?" Noah replied.

"Oh." Kurt said as he leaned up against a sink.

"Okay, I don't know what those guys told you but Finn is not a bad guy and he does not hold grudges." Kurt tried to interrupt but Noah continued. "Oh, he stays pissed for a good while but that's not because of a grudge but more of his inability to move people in and out of categories quickly. Finn likes things neat and simple. This chaos with the baby and me being the dad threw him for a huge loop. He just needs time to think about things is all." Noah said.

"The baby's due in a few months." Kurt replied.

"Yeah, and he's only known about me and Quinn for the last two. Trust me, I know Finn. When something bad happens, he retreats away from the people associated with what happened." Noah tried to reason.

"He's still talking to Quinn." Kurt pointed out.

Noah shrugged. "She's about to pop. It would be a real dick move to be pissed at her. Also with the hormones, she might actually kill someone by accident." Noah took a deep breath. "Look, he's the same guy who in the first grade gave me half of his chocolate milk, who in the third grade gave me his favorite video game and in sixth grade gave me his autographed baseball for getting a coach fired. Once, he gets over some of his anger, he'll come around, ask some questions and the whole thing will fix itself. He's a good guy. I'm not going to let you think otherwise especially since he's decided to be friends with you."

"Decided to be friends?" Kurt said.

Noah nodded. "That's what the weird stalker like questions he is probably asking are coming from. He likes to know everything about his new friends. Think of it like a dog with a new bone. It's how the goofball makes friends." Noah laughed slightly.

Kurt watched at Noah as he laughed and saw the pain in the other boy. Noah was hurting from loosing his best friend. Without thinking, he went over to Noah and gave him a hug. At first, Noah froze but soon relaxed into the hug. A few seconds later, Kurt moved back. "I'm sure he'll be asking you stalker like questions soon, too. If not, we can always replace him with a new best friend. I'm thinking Berry or Anderson. They seem to have best fashion sense on the team. Well outside of me, of course. But that isn't saying much, now is it?"

"This is why I locked the door. Not only did you hug me, you started to talk about fashion right after. If someone came in, they would think we're getting off in here." Noah laughed and swung an arm onto Kurt's shoulders.

"Eww. I have standards." Kurt said as they left the bathroom.

Noah scoffed. "This is USDA prime right here, princess. You aren't getting any better than this."

Kurt shook his head. "I'm amazed you can after lift your head off your bed in the morning."

Noah smiled. "You wanted to give me head in bed this morning? Thanks, princess for sharing your fantasies with me. I'm sure with that dirty mind you'll make some man a good wife."

Kurt smack him on the chest as they walked to Kurt's history class.

"Seriously though, he's still the guy you have a raging hard on for so don't sweat what happens between me and him so much. The last thing you need is for him to get pissed at you, too." Noah said at the door to the class room.

Kurt laughed. "Out all that ways you could have said, that raging hard on wins? Anyway, not so much anymore. Plus if you don't stick up for your friends, who is going to?"

Noah sighed and drew away from Kurt. "God, princess, keep the feelings crap for private times."

Kurt smiled wickedly. "So I can keep feeling you in private?"

Noah laughed. "Awesome and no. See ya later."

Kurt went into the class with a smile. That was not what he saw on Finn's face. It was something between a pout and a frown. Kurt straightened up and decided to be the better man and talk to Finn before he actually hurt the football player's feelings. Also, it seemed like Noah would be happier if they made nice.

"Hey Finn, sorry I had to run out on you before class." Kurt said as he sat down. "I have a thing with Jason and Josh after school so I was just checking in."

Finn turned a little to face Kurt, though he was clearly still upset. "Who's Jason?"

"Sorry, Anderson?" Kurt replied.

"Oh, yeah." Finn's face cleared up. "I forgot that was his first name. So what was up?"

"Just some stuff for after school." He wasn't about to invite Finn to his study session with the boys. If Noah heard that Finn was coming, he probably would stop showing. After the last few days, Kurt wasn't going to pick Finn over his friendship with Noah. "So you ready for glee?"

Finn nodded. "Yeah, I got a pretty good song though it is going to be a little awkward."

"Oh," Kurt said. He didn't know what to say without asking who it was for. Kurt was sure it was either Quinn or Rachel by the uncomfortably look on Finn's face. "Well, do your best."

Mr. Kirk cleared his throat and class began. He started to review for the exam coming up tomorrow but with his study session that night, Kurt wasn't too worried. Instead, he tried to craft a way for Finn and Noah to be friends again. After all, he got his dad a new love interest. Manipulating teenagers should be a walk in the park after that.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

Instead of letting any of the other football players, Noah took over Kurt's protection detail. When asked about the change, Noah said that until they got their heads right about certain people, he was going to walk Kurt back and forth. The only problem was Noah's disappearance during lunch when the pair saw Finn sitting with the glee kids. Noah just nodded to Kurt, walked over to the jock table and pushed Michaels over for his seat. Kurt was about to get up and move over to the jock table when he saw Finn smiling up at him. Kurt sighed and sat back down.

He listened to the chatter at his table but his eyes kept on wandering over to the football table. The guys were horsing around, grabbing each others food, and cracking jokes. For the first time in a long time, he looked longingly at the table of popular kids wishing he was there.

When lunch was almost over, Mike and Matt grabbed Kurt's things and lead him away from the others. When they reached a usually empty stairway, they turned to face Kurt. Neither of the boys had looked him in the eye since they grabbed his things which clued Kurt in that this was not part of his normal jock bodyguard system. Both of the boys were upset about something. Finally, Mike spoke up though he keep this gaze locked on the floor. "I...we're sorry we didn't stop Karofsky."

Kurt saw Matt nodding his head along with Mike.

Mike looked up from the floor to Kurt. "We didn't know it was as bad as it was. When Puck got upset last week and showed us the bruises... We didn't know, man."

Kurt tried to smile at the boys. They looked like kicked puppies. "It's fine, guys. No one knew."

The quiet Asian eye's flared with anger. "Yeah, but you're one of us. You're in glee and a jock. You're a glock. We should have done something."

Kurt put a hand on Mike's arm. "Hey, you guys are doing something. I saw you at the dumpster yesterday and you are walking me to class now. That's enough."

Matt finally spoke up. "So we cool?"

Kurt tried to deepen his voice. "We cool." Kurt giggled then abruptly stopped. "Hey, is that why you guys missed movie night on Monday?"

Mike toed the floor. "Yeah. We didn't know if you were pissed at us."

Kurt frowned deeply. "I am now since I know why two of my friends decided not to show up for movie night at my house because they were silly enough to think I was mad at them for no good reason."

Mike laughed. "Next time, we'll be there. Front row even."

Kurt smiled and lightly pushed Matt. "We just have to do something about Matt though. The way he is, he'll probably talk the whole time."

The silent football player smiled and threw his arm over Kurt. Kate Spade, did he have a sign on him saying, "Please use me as an armrest?" He really needed to get that taken can of.

On the way to class, Kurt saw Azimio walking down the hallway by himself. It was amazing a guy that big could look so small. Kurt felt bad for his former nightmare and in a move that could be seen as masochistic, Kurt moved towards him after signaling his two friends to wait.

Azimio must have seen him coming because he stopped and tried to look as miniscule as possible. Though with the looks that Kurt saw a few of the passing football players gave Azimio, Kurt could understand why. "Hey, Azimio. How's it going?"

Azimio keep on glancing side to side as he spoke. "I haven't done anything. I swear."

Kurt put his hands up to try and placate the larger man. "I didn't mean anything like that." He took a step closer. "Look, some of the guys are coming over for a study session. I know you are a junior but maybe you could come and give us some tips. I heard that Ms. Nelson hasn't changed her tests since the stone age."

Azimio was shocked but then again so was Kurt by what was coming out of his mouth. He had come over to make sure that his old tormentor wasn't going to slide back, he hadn't meant to extend that friendly of a hand. Then again he was going to have a good chunk of the football team in the house with him so Azimio couldn't do that much damage.

"Are you for real, Hummel? On Monday, I threw you into a dumpster." Azimio stated.

Kurt started to think maybe he shouldn't have come over in the first place. "Look, I'm just asking if you wanted to come. You don't have to if it's too weird to be seen with me or something. I'll see you around." Kurt quickly walked over to Mike and Matt, who were glaring at the linebacker.

Kurt had gone halfway down the hallway when he heard Azimio yell out. "Do I need to bring anything?"

Kurt froze. Azimio just publicized his meeting with Kurt loud enough that everyone would know he was hanging out with Kurt. Kurt slowly turned and smiled. "Food is always a good addition to a party. Get the details from either Mike or Matt."

Azimio nodded and straightened up a little as he continued walking. Kurt felt that he had just done his good deed for the week. It was good for the karma which was good for the skin.

Mike turned to Kurt as they continued on their way. "What details?"

"Oh yeah, um, some of the guys from football are coming over to my house for a study session. Tonight, we are working on Science, Spanish and others. You two are totally welcome to come. It's at my house and it's after glee so you could make if you wanted." Kurt said hesitantly. Matt and Mike were pretty good students so didn't really need the help but a few extra friendly faces in the group wouldn't hurt, especially since Azimio was coming.

"I'm in." Mike said smiling as Matt nodded.

"Great! See you at glee." Kurt was floating high from the good luck coming his way. Not only was there glee but he got to hang out with his new friends tonight. And it was a responsible hang out session since there would be studying so his dad couldn't be too upset. Though, it probably would have been nice to give him the heads up. He would have to text him between classes. In addition to all of that, he might have been able to strengthen Azimio resolve to stay on team Kurt. It seemed like everything was going his way right now.

Kurt smiled at Mr. Schu as he went into Spanish. The glee teacher smiled back and walked over to Kurt.

"You seem especially chipper today. Anything new?" Mr. Schu asked.

As nice of a teacher as Mr. Schu was, he usually had too much drama going on in his personal life to really get too involved with his students' lives. For once, Mr. Schu's obliviousness did not bother Kurt. "Not really, but I was wondering if I could go first today in glee. I have props and a costume so..."

Mr. Schu's eyes widened. While Kurt was always willing to go the distance for glee, asking to go first was more a Rachel thing to do. "Sure, I don't see why not."

Kurt beamed at his teacher. "Thank you. It's not the most musically challenging song I could have chosen but the person who it is for should enjoy it."

Mr. Schu smiled and nodded. "That's all I'm looking for."

Kurt smiled and walked back to his seat. Actually, he was taking a gamble whether Noah would like the song or not. The choreography wasn't his best work either but he hadn't had time to fix any of it since the weekend. Suddenly, he was nervous and he had volunteered to be first.

Kurt spent most of Spanish class going over the pros and cons of pretending to be sick for glee. He realized that he couldn't skip since that would mean that he had to cancel the study session to make the illness believable. If he cancelled, Azimio might get upset. While he said he was on the side of not beating Kurt to a pulp, it was a new development. Kurt didn't want to push too hard and loose his "get out of the dumpster" scot free card.

He was finally calming down when the bell rung for the end of class. Kurt packed his things and saw Noah waiting for him looking not so happy. When Kurt got within speaking distance for inside voices, Noah hissed at him. "Did you really invite Azimio or is there a trip to the dumpster in his future?"

Kurt laughed. "I invited him as an olive branch..." Kurt leaned closer to Noah "...plus he looked a little sad and pathetic while he was walking down the halls." When he saw that Noah was not impressed by his reasoning, he leaned back. "It's positive reinforcement. I am rewarding him with friendship for not throwing a slushie at me today. Plus I am hoping some of the positive examples the rest of guys set will rub off on him."

Noah shook his head. "You're going to get your hand bit if you keep this up."

"Pish-posh. I'll be fine. But I do have a bone to pick with you." Kurt said glaring at Noah.

Noah gestured with his hands for Kurt to continue.

Kurt stepped in front of Noah, forcing the other boy to stop as well. "You are not going to disappear every time Finn is around. If you want me to be his friend, well, he's going to have to deal with you." Kurt announced.

Noah leaned against the lockers, not looking at Kurt as he answered. "I think I am a non-negotiable exclusion in anything doing with Finn."

Kurt stepped closer to Noah and almost put his hand on Noah's arm before he remembered he was in a crowded school hallway. "Then it's his lose. I happen to be a fabulous friend." Kurt moved his body so he was in Noah's direct vision. "After all you did for me in the last few days, did you really think I would pick Finn if he made me choose?"

Noah shrugged. "Guys I've hungout with for a long time started to treat me like a plague after the Quinn and me thing came out. Plus I used to toss you in the dumpster and slushie you too once upon a time, so why would you choose me?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "First of all, I'm not one of the guys. Second, Finn did that stuff too until he joined glee so he has no right to throw stones about that. Third, you didn't just stop, Noah. You got the whole team on my side and you got me some pretty cool new friends. Fourth, are you or are you not Puckzilla?"

Noah snorted as he heard one of his nicknames come out of Kurt's mouth. "Damn straight, I'm the Puckzilla. I'm da bomb, too." Noah lightly pushed Kurt towards his class. "Come on, let's get you to class."

They walked to class peacefully except for the soft pushes and jabs they gave each other. When they reached Kurt's class, Noah grabbed Kurt's shoulder. "Thanks, princess."

Kurt shrugged. "Sometimes, it's the knight in shining armor that needs the saving."

Noah nodded and walked off.

The rest of the day moved quickly for Kurt. Finn had unknowingly became his guard since they had their last two classes together. Kurt was a little annoyed that he hadn't seen Noah but he didn't want to other teen to feel like he had to babysit Kurt. He would see Noah soon enough in Glee.

When school ended, Kurt ran from class to his locker. He grabbed his bag and sprinted to the room glee met in. He placed his props and extra cloths in spots that would be easy access for the song. After he queued up his music so Mr. Schu would just have to press play, he quickly ducked into the closest bathroom and changed. He waited until he was sure everyone was in the classroom before venturing out and entering the room.


	11. Chapter 11

As he walked into the room, Kurt could see the shock on his club mates faces. Kurt was wearing the shirt Noah had lent him as few nights ago with loose pants and flip-flops. Kurt quickly took off the flip-flops and hid them behind the piano, where he had his costume change area set up aka a sheet draped over the piano. It gave him just enough room to rip some of his layers off.

Kurt nodded at Mr. Schu to turn on the music when he got the middle of the class room with his arms framing his face on top and bottom and his hands in fists. He saw Noah raise an eyebrow and lean back in his chair. This could go so badly.

Kurt had dropped his voice a full octave in order to sing the song but it was necessary if he wanted it to go right.

He started singing.

"I'm too sexy for my love

Too sexy for my love

Love's going to leave me,"

Kurt stayed completely still as he sang the first part of the song. He loved the astonished looks on the faces in the room. It really wasn't his normal song at all but when he picked the song, he thought that even if it wasn't going to be challenging at least it would be funny. With the way Noah, Matt, and Mike were laughing, it seemed to hit the mark with at least a few people's funny bones.

As the beat of the song pick up, Kurt turned and did some horrible impressions of body builder posses for the first five beats of the song, all the while trying not to giggle. Then he straightened up and runway walked forward so he was right in front of his friends. The whole bunch, barring Rachel and Finn, were enjoying the music and the show. He then walked parallel to the chairs for the next few beats, did a perfect turn and walked back to stand in front of Noah and Mercedes. He proceeded to say the next few lines as he tugged Noah's shirt slowly off of him, somewhat akin to a strip tease.

"I'm too sexy for my shirt

Too sexy for my shirt

So sexy it hurts,"

Kurt smiled wickedly and threw the shirt, which he hadn't had time to wash, back to its original owner. He was now sporting a very non-de-script navy blue polo shirt. He turned and started to pull out little flags out of the pant pockets and flung them in the air as he sang the next part of the song.

"And I'm too sexy for Milan

too sexy for Milan

New York and Japan"

He quickly ducked behind the piano and yanked off the polo. He had an old gag gift of his dad's under the polo. It was one of those T-shirt that had the tux fronts printed on it. The shirt had shrunk in the wash so it was normally a bit form fitting on Kurt but now looked like a second skin right considering that he had another shirt under it.

Kurt popped to the side of the piano with a plastic martini glass in his hand, which he tossed when he started singing again swaying sexy the whole time. He also managed to do a pretty spot on version of John Travolta's disco with the song.

"And I'm too sexy for your party

Too sexy for your party

No way I'm disco dancing"

The disco dancing got a shout from Mr. Schu, who could probably remember when the disco was big. Kurt smiled as he strutted down his imaginary runway singing. The chorus earning a shout from Mercedes as Tina smiled widely. He had timed his walks so he would hit the first call for a turn right fin front of his peers and then strutted back and forth parallel to the bottom of the risers before returning to the back of the room for a double turn.

"I'm a model you know what I mean

And I do my little turn on the catwalk

Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah

I do my little turn on the catwalk"

Kurt again crouched as ripped off the tux shirt and grabbed an old shirt he got at a thrift store. It looked like a shirt from the movie "Swingers." He then grabbed an old steering wheel that he found in the garage and a black hat that was the closest one to the ugly one the sing used in video.

He got up and walked his "runway" while pretending to drive. He walked that whole thing until he got to the back of the room. He then stopped walking and stated to dance in place as he threw the wheel gently to the floor and tossed the hat at his audience. While he was doing this, he was sing,

"I'm too sexy for my car

Too sexy for my car

Too sexy by far

And I'm too sexy for my hat

Too sexy for my hat

What do you think about that."

The chorus popped back up and Kurt walked the runway so fierce that Tyra Banks would be proud as he sang. He made sure his butt wiggle a little extra when the song called for an extra little touche.

"I'm a model you know what I mean

And I do my little turn on the catwalk

Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah

I shake my little touche on the catwalk."

This was his last change but it was also the hardest to pull off. He unbuttoned his pants dropped them to the ground before dropped behind the piano for the last time and yanked off the shirt.

He jumped out just in time for the next line of the song. He watched his gleemates as he skated his hands down his body.

"I'm too sexy for my

Too sexy for my

Too sexy for my"

By the dropped jaws, his final outfit was a complete success. In complete homage to Right Said Fred, Kurt decided to finish 'I'm Too Sexy' by wearing a black mesh sleeveless shirt with a beige tank under it and faux leather pants. If it was possible, Finn looked even more uncomfortable. Mercedes was hollering support while Tina was sitting wide eyed next to a slack jawed Artie. Mike and Matt looked as if they had just seen an alien as Mr. Schu looked like he was worried but oddly proud. Brittany, Quinn and Santana had all gotten dollars from somewhere and started wiggling them around as if they were at as strip show. As for Rachel...really did anyone really care? Though, the deep frown and moral outrage on her face were amazing.

The last person who Kurt looked at was Noah. The mohawk sporting teen looked like he was having fits from laughing so hard. He had one hand pointed at Kurt and the other one wrapped around his stomach. Kurt took that as a positive response.

He started to walk down his runway putting in a few showy moves as he want through so he would finish the song right in front of the crowd. As he passed Quinn and the Cheerios, he had bills thrown as him causing him to stumble slightly at his lines. As the pussy cat line came up, Kurt, somehow, found the courage to point at Noah as he sang the lines and waved goodbye. He made a little heart with his hands and wiggled his hips as the repeat of the opening words came on and finished the song with his back to his classmates.

"I'm too sexy for my cat

Too sexy for my cat

Poor pussy poor pussy cat

I'm too sexy for my love

Too sexy for my love

Love's going to leave me

And I'm too sexy for this song"

The cheering started as soon as he froze. He was almost knocked off his feet as Mercedes and Tina ran to congratulate him on the song. He smiled at the rambling that came from both of the girls as each one took one of his arms. The whole group was clapping with Mike and Artie yelling out their support.

He looked at Noah, who seemed to be trying not to laugh at him. Okay, maybe he had gone too far with pussy cat comment. He did have a toy cat behind the chairs but it was just to tempting to point at Noah.

Mr. Schu got up and clapped Kurt on the back. "That was definitely something different than your usual. Good job pushing your limit."

"Tha..." Kurt started to say but his voicebox was not so happy with the almost out of range singing and the activity at the same time. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Thank you, Mr. Schu."

Mr. Schu turned to the rest of the group. "So who did you think it was for?"

A few people yelled out Rachel because, honestly, she was the biggest prima donna in the group. Someone shouted out Mike and another person shouted out Quinn. Noah was completely silent with a shit eating grin. He got up and threw an elbow onto Kurt's right shoulder much to Mercedes' annoyance since she was standing there before Noah got up. "People people. It's easy to figure out who the song is for. After all there isn't anyone as sexy as me. I mean have you seen these guns. By the way, you're supposed to wash a shirt before you return it."

Kurt rolled his eyes but laughed. "Yes, Mr. Manners."

The group erupted with shouts about how conceded Noah was. The bronzed teen just laughed it off until Mr. Schu motioned them to be quiet. "Okay Kurt, who was it for?"

Kurt looked a little sheepish at his classmates. "It is for Puck but it was supposed to be ironic like the songwriter meant it to be."

Noah laughed. "Come on, you know you want a lick of the Puckicle. Everyone does." He faked humbleness. "It's torture being this awesome."

Kurt laughed and pushed Noah off of him. "Mr. Schu, can I go change?"

Mr. Schu nodded. "Rachel is up next and wants a few minutes to warm up."

Mercedes grabbed Kurt's arm and turned to Mr. Schu. "Tina and I will go help Kurt change."

Before Mr. Schu could respond, the trio were out the door. "Baby boy, you have so much to tell me tonight."

Kurt looked at her questioningly. "Tonight?"

Mercedes narrowed her eyes. "As in you invited me over for some gab time."

Kurt's eyes open widely. "Oh Dolce and Gabbana, I completely forgot between the dumpster incident, the football team study session, and the Secret Santa song. I completely forgot. I'm so sorry, Mercedes."

Mercedes began to glare when Kurt said dumpster. "What dumpster incident?"

Kurt flung the mesh shirt off trying to stall. His friend would not be happy with him hiding this kind of information. Her mama bear with a head cold routine would probably land Karofsky in the hospital. "It was a minor thing and anyway the football team took care of it." Kurt tried to say as casually as he could.

Mercedes relaxed a little. "Are they treating you okay?"

Kurt smiled widely. "Yeah, they are really good guys."

Tina voiced "Puck in particular."

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

Mercedes hugged Kurt hard enough to bother his bruises but he didn't say a thing. He did not wanting more questions to arise. "We'll talk about more tonight." Mercedes said in a tone that Kurt knew that she wasn't done with this conversation.

Kurt winced as he spoke up. "Actually about tonight...I kind of have to reschedule."

Mercedes let the brunette boy go and gave him the look.

Kurt sighed as he put on the shirt he had on earlier that day. "Not that I don't want to hang out but some of the guys from football are coming over."

Mercedes glared. "So you are ditching one of you best friends for a bunch of smelly jocks."

Tina interjected. "But cute smelly jocks."

Mercedes and Kurt looked at the goth girl then each other and started to giggle.

Mercedes stopped giggling and poked Kurt softly in the chest. She smiled as she said. "Go hang out with your new boy toys but don't forget your friends, boo."

Kurt grabbed Tina and Mercedes in a hug. "As if I could ever forget my fabulous ladies. How about Saturday morning facials at my house?"

Tina and Mercedes agreed. Kurt then quickly packed up his things after changing to his skinny jeans. The trio linked arms with each other and marched to the glee room. Mercedes pushed Kurt towards her seat next to Noah and went to sit next to Tina.

Kurt noticed that his bag looked like it was packed as it sat at Noah's feet. Noah kicked it under the Kurt's seat but said nothing to Kurt. Kurt sat down next to Noah worried about what the other teen was thinking. Noah wasn't the most easy to read person and while Noah might have been all showy after the song, it didn't mean he liked it.

Finally Kurt bit the bullet, scooted his chair closer to Noah and leaned towards him. "Are you mad about the song?" He almost whispered.

Noah didn't say anything for a few second. He acted as if he didn't even hear Kurt. "Did you really mean it ironically?" He replied just as softly as Kurt.

Kurt shook his head. "No, I said that just to mess with you. I thought that you might find it funny. So did you?" Kurt was truly nervous.

Noah looked at Kurt for a second before smiling. "You are never living that mesh T-shirt and those pleather pants down." Noah laughed.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Seriously, are we okay?"

Noah punched Kurt on the shoulder. "Don't be such a girl, Hummel. It's fine that you think I'm an asshat."

Kurt's eyes widened. "No! I don't. That's not what I..." Kurt stopped as he saw Noah trying not to shake from laughter. "You are an asshat." Kurt said as he fold his arms over his chest and watched Rachel freak out since her music wasn't working properly.

Noah started laughing loudly. "But a sexy one."

Kurt tried to suppress his giggle as he hit Noah.

Mr. Schu seemed to get control of the Rachel melt down. "Okay since we can't get her music to work, would anyone like to take Rachel's place?"

No one volunteered until Finn finally felt bad for Mr. Schu and got up. Finn cleared his throat and started softly but clearly singing, "Blackbird singing in the dead of night..."

Kurt hear a gasp from behind him. He turned to see Quinn looking slightly taken aback. He turned his attention back to Noah, who had stiffened in his chair. Kurt quickly realized that 'Blackbird' by the Beetles meant something to the former inseparable trio of friends. He carefully knocked his leg into Noah's making the mohawk sporting teen look at him. Noah looked a little shocked. After a few seconds, Noah leaned over to Kurt. "That's the song that I sing to the baby when Quinn lets me near the two of them. It's Quinn's favorite song since her dad used to sing it to her when she was little. She wanted to keep the tradition alive for the baby."

Kurt nodded and turned back to Finn. He didn't think that Finn knew that Noah sang it to the baby. He probably just used it since it was Quinn's favorite song but there was too much meaning in that song for all sides of the messed up love triangle (or should it be square since Rachel fought her way in) for it to be okay for Finn to use so nonchalantly. It must have sucked being Noah listening to his former friend sing the same song he sang to his unborn child to the unborn child's mom. And what about Quinn? Sure, she asked Noah to sing it but it was when she was strong enough to hear the song her father, who threw her out, used to sing to her when she was little. She probably didn't want to hear it from the man she tried to trick into being the baby's dad.

Kurt lightly tapped his knee against Noah's in a sign of support and out of the corner of his eye Kurt saw Noah relax bit. He was glad he could show his friend some support. He glanced back at Quinn to see her almost in tears. Versace, how could Finn not see that this was upsetting her? The boy was thick sometimes.

Finn just finished singing and the only two people who seemed to be clapping with any enthusiasm were Rachel and Mr. Schu. The rest of the group seemed to understand that this was not just a simple song. This one could start a fight.

Mr. Schu got up and was his usual oblivious self. "Good job, Finn."

Finn nodded and smiled. "Thanks."

Rachel beamed. "How did you know I liked that song?"

Kurt could have slapped Rachel.

Apparently, Santana had reached her limit though. "It was Quinn, you self absorbed snot."

Mr. Schu held up his hand. "Santana, that's enough." He turned back to Finn. "Who was it for?"

"Quinn." Finn said softly.

Rachel leaned back shocked as Finn sat back down next to her. The room was heavy with tension. Noah looked like he wanted to beat Finn senseless, Quinn looked like she wanted to burst out in tears, and everyone else wanted to slap Rachel. Actually, it was like most glee practices lately. Artie wheeled himself to the middle of the room. "If it's okay, I want to do my song?"

Mr Schu nodded and sat down.

Artie took in a deep breath, started to laugh in a high pitched laugh then he began singing.

"A wonderful thing is a Tigger;

A Tigger's a wonderful thing.

Their tops are made out of rubber,

their bottoms are made out of spring

They're bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy,

fun, fun, fun, fun, fun,

The most wonderful thing

about Tiggers is:

I'm the only one!"

The whole room started to giggle as Artie hit the main part of the song. Brittany started singing with Artie and bouncing in her seat. He smiled up at the cheerleader. Before Mr. Schu got up, he wheeled himself back next to Tina, who gave him a long hug.

Mr. Schu clapped his hands and smiled. "That was different. Any guesses?"

Santana wrapped herself around the still bouncing Cheerio and said, "It was totally for Brit."

Artie nodded.

Mr. Schu looked at the remaining students. "We are going to do half of the songs today and half next week so anyone else want to go today."

Matt hesitantly put his hand up. The room was in shock. Matt never volunteered to sing. He barely spoke.

Mr. Schu's looked a little confused before he reacted. "Yes, Matt please."

The teen quickly made his way to the stereo without looking at anyone. Noah got up and walked up to the clearly nervous boy. He leaned in close and whispered something in his ear before pushing the teen gently into the center of the room. Noah stayed at the stereo waiting for Matt's cue for the music. Matt looked up for a second and then back at the floor. He signaled to Noah, who smiled encouragingly at him. The beginning of Jamie Foxx and T. Pain's 'Blame it' came over the speakers. The first time Matt missed his cue as he was watching everyone in the crowd.

Noah stopped the song and turned the football player so Matt was facing the stereo instead of the other students. "It was just a trial run. Try it again. It's just you and me like we practiced."

Matt nodded.

Noah went back to the stereo and hit play. Right before Matt was supposed to start singing, Noah mouthed three two one. Matt hit the cue this time. His voice was very smooth as he sang. Noah chimed in and did T. Pain's parts during the song but let Matt showcase his hard work. Halfway through the song, Noah turned Matt around so he could watch as the rest of glee was on their feet dancing to the song. The teen sounded more confident after that point. He even started to dance as he sang. At the end of the song, the whole group was smiling. Matt grabbed Noah in a hug.

Mr. Schu was smiling ear to ear. "That was amazing. Great job guys. So who do you guys think it's for?"

A few of the girls said it was Kurt due to his wonderful night with alcohol a while ago. Only Tina said Mike and Matt nodded at the Asian goth's answer.

"So any one else want to go today?" Mr. Schu asked as everyone was going back to their seats.

Noah was at the stereo. "Sure, I'm already up here." Noah reach over and grabbed his guitar. He went to the middle of the room and looked at the glee crowd. "This is for Finn. Oops. I mean this is not for Finn." He smiled wickedly at the quarterback before winking at Kurt. He began to strum softly and sing "Here we are dear old friend..."

Kurt gasped and tried not to burst into laughter. He failed pretty throughly as he almost fell out of his chair when he finally couldn't hold it in anymore.

Noah looked at the petite brunette and stopped singing. "Just joking. That song was for Hummel. This one is for Finn." He began singing just as softly as before.

"Are you gonna take me home tonight

Ah down beside that red firelight

Are you gonna let it all hang out

Fat bottomed girls

You make the rockin' world go round,"

Noah started to strum his guitar as he put a little more grit into his voice. He started to walk up and down the levels of the risers the glee chairs were on. He paused to sing with Artie, who surprisingly knew the words to the classic Queen song 'Fat Bottom Girls.' After a few lines with Artie, Noah walked up to Mercedes and sang a few lines to her. He blew her a kiss before jumping back to the floor.

"Hey

I was just a skinny lad

Never knew no good from bad

But I knew love before I left my nursery, huh

Left alone with big fat fanny

She was such a naughty nanny

Heap big woman you made a bad boy out of me

Hey hey!"

Noah walked over to Rachel and sang the next verse to her. She seemed flattered until she listen to the lyrics sung to her. She immediately tensed up and leaned back in her chair, causing Noah to grin widely as he continued to sing.

"I've been singing with my band

Across the wire across the land

I seen every blue eyed floozy on the way, hey

But their beauty and their style

Went kind of smooth after a while

Take me to them dirty ladies every time

C'mon"

Noah sang the chorus on the floor making sure to rotate his hips suggestively at the last few words of the last two lines.

"Oh wont you take me home tonight?

Oh down beside that red firelight

Oh and you give it all you got

Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round "

Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round

Noah played the electric guitar part as well as he could on his acoustic and then moved up the levels quickly. He went to stand in front of Quinn and the Cheerios, who were giggling to his outrageous moves. He smiled at them and continued to sing.

"Hey listen here

I've got mortgages and homes

I got stiffness in my bones

Ain't no beauty queens in this locality (I tell you)

Oh but I still get my pleasure

Still got my greatest treasure

Hey big woman you gonna make a big man of me

Now get this"

Noah went back to the floor and sang the chorus as he turned and danced. His moves were clearly trying to be rock moves that seemed to fall flat but were very amusing to watch.

"Oh (I know) you gonna take me home tonight (please)

Oh down beside that red firelight

Oh you gonna let it all hang out

Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round

Yeah

Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round

Get on your bikes and ride

Oooh yeah, alright, them fat bottomed girls

Fat bottomed girls

Yeah yeah yeah alright, hey, c'mon

Fat bottomed girls

Yes yes"

Noah bowed when he finished his song. The glee members excluding Finn and Rachel applauded Noah's song. Noah quickly put away his guitar and took the case back with him as sat back down next to Kurt.

Kurt leaned over to Noah. "Why is Finn mad about that song?"

Noah smirked. "When we were in peewee football together, one of the coaches heard Finn singing 'Fat Bottom Girls' in the shower. He called Finn 'Queenie' for the rest of the season or as much of it as he could since I got him fired."

Kurt raised his eyebrow. "What did you do?"

Noah shrugged. "He was bothering my best friend so I did something. I'm not talking about it, especially here." Noah paused for a second. "Hey, I forgot something in my locker. Could you wait for me before you go to your house?"

Kurt looked puzzled. "We're going to my house. Why do we need to car pool?"

Noah shrugged. "Well, I was going to head over to Barb's after but if you don't want to..."

"I'm so there." Kurt said excitedly.

"Good." Noah said as he started to pay attention to what Mr. Schu was saying.

Mr. Schu only spoke for a few minutes about how he enjoyed the songs presented and working the tension out of the group would help their performances. He must have realized that Rachel was about to interrupt since he dismissed the group abruptly and left.

Noah nodded at Kurt and walked out the door. Kurt started to check his props bag for all of his things as he waited. Everyone had hung around to talk so Kurt indulged himself in the latest gossip until he felt a hand push him abruptly against the piano. He turned to see Finn looking down at him pretty pissed off.

"You can't hang out with Puck." Finn said loud enough to stop all other conversation in the room.

"Excuse you?" Kurt replied.

"I said can't hang out with Puck." Finn said. "He's no good for you."

Kurt grabbed the hand that was still holding him against the piano and twisted it so Finn would back off. Once the taller boy had let him go, he straightened up and looked at Finn. "Did I just hear you say I CAN'T hang out with Puck? Who died and made you king? How dare you tell me who is good for me?"

Finn looked a little bewildered at the forceful nature that Kurt was displaying since it had never been focused on him before. At the same time, he wasn't about to backdown. "You don't know him the way I do."

Kurt nodded and started to walk forward causing Finn to walk backwards until the quarterback hit a wall. "You're probably right but I do know that he was the one who fixed my problem with Azimio and Karofsky. I know he was the one who decided it wasn't right how the football team was treating me like dirt even though I am the punter. I know he was the one who decided that I needed to learn to defend myself so I wouldn't have to be scared whenever a bigger guy like you tries to push me into a corner."

Finn shook his head. "You don't understand. He lies and cheats."

Kurt snorted. "Really because the way I remember it, he wanted you to know what happened. He told Mercedes what happened and as much as I love Mercedes, she can't keep a secret any better than I can." Kurt turned to see Mercedes just nodding her head. Kurt narrowed his eyes as he looked back at Finn. "He wanted you to know."

Finn laughed darkly. "Yeah, so he could talk about how he scored on my girlfriend."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Really because I never heard him say anything like that, ever. Trust me I know Puck talks out of his ass a lot but he never said anything like that. Ask the football team if you don't believe me."

Finn snorted. "They are all my side."

That remark made Kurt even more pissed. "And they all hate you for it. You whined your way into having friends who don't even support you. Hell, they talk trash about how much of a bitch you have been about this whole thing. About how you have your head so far up your ass, you can't see that Puck is trying to make it up to you. And do you know the only person who supports your right to be mad? Puck. He said so to me this afternoon. He told me that you were a good person and you would cool down and give him a chance. He made it clear that I would be lucky to have a friend like you. In reality, you are so lucky to have a friend like him, who still stands up for you even though you have decided he is below your standards."

Finn started to loose his anger and a lost look came over his face. His eyes fell to the floor. "He slept with Quinn."

Kurt folded his arms. "I'm no expert on heterosexual sex or making babies for that matter but I am pretty sure you need a guy and a girl to do that. From what I know, Quinn went to his place. He didn't drag her there. He didn't beg for her to come over. She came over of her own free will. He didn't force the drinks down her throat. She drank them herself. Heck from what I heard and this is not from Puck, she was the one who started the whole gross heterosexual sex thing that night."

Quinn spoke up. "Kurt, that's enough."

Kurt shook his head as he glanced at the ex-cheerleader. "No, I'm sick of hearing that everything is Puck's fault and everyone else is blameless. You decided to keep the baby's dad a secret until it nearly broke Puck. How would you like it if I told you that you were an unfit mother and took the baby away from you without any consideration for your feelings? That's what you're doing to Puck. And let's be honest, it wasn't the nicest move to go to Finn's best friend for comfort after Finn was being an ass."

Finn's head popped up. "How is this my fault?"

Kurt looked back at Finn. He took a deep breath and spoke softly. "It's not just your fault but you do have part of the blame. If you had been more honest with what you were feeling about Rachel, Quinn probably wouldn't felt so disconnected from you and wouldn't have gone to Puck for comfort. If you had just listened before now, this might have been an unpleasant memory instead of this horribly stressful situation that you have not only put yourself through but also those that care about you. Finn, you are a good guy but I'm not going to let you make me choose between you and Puck. It's not fair to him or me plus you might not even like the answer."

Kurt walked over to Quinn and pulled her over to Finn. "You, Puck and Quinn need to talk this through. It might be horrible and painful but you need to do it. If not for yourselves, how about your friends who hate seeing you so hurt?"

Rachel decided that this was a golden opportunity to put in her two cents. "Communication is ver..."

Mercedes turned to Rachel. "Shut up, Berry. Don't you dare think we don't remember that you had a hand in this mess. If it wasn't for you in those short little skirts and little school girl socks, this would have never happened. Also, that was in for about five second when Britney Spears did it. The fad is over. Get a new look."

Kurt heard a snort from the doorway. He saw Noah standing in the doorway. It looked like he had been there for quite a while. Kurt blushed slightly. He suddenly realized he had yelled at Finn and Quinn in front of all of glee. Mercedes must have noticed him starting to falter and moved to stand beside him. "Kurt's right. Puck might not be the nicest guy but he doesn't deserve what this is doing to him. It's just not right using him as a scapegoat. Please, talk this over."

The room was echoed with support for Kurt's suggestion. Kurt smiled and took grabbed his bags. "I guess we'll leave you guys to it."

The glee squad started to leave the room. Rachel tried to stay behind but Mercedes quickly intercepted her. Kurt was the last to leave the room. He smiled weakly at Quinn and Finn, who were still standing next to the wall, and began to walk out. When he almost passed Noah, Kurt looked at his friend.

"Hey, princess, you can call me Noah whenever you want." Noah smiled slightly at Kurt.

Kurt beamed at Noah and walked out the door. Mercedes, Tina, Mike, Artie and Matt were standing outside the door. They were all on edge about what was going on in the room that they had just left, but all they could do was wait and see.


	12. Chapter 12

The group just stood silently for a moments before Mike spoke up. "Hey, that was really cool the way you stood up for Puck."

There was a chorus of yeahs as Kurt ducked his head. "It didn't feel right to let Puck take the blame for a mess that was only partially his fault."

Artie spoke up. "Yeah but you are the only one with the balls to do it."

Kurt rose his head and declared proud. "Well, he is my friend."

The silence was back but no one knew what to say this time.

"Umm, I don't want to break this up but if I don't get home soon, my parents are not going to be happy." Tina said quietly.

Artie nodded. "Yeah, me too."

Mercedes spoke up. "I'll give you a ride since I'm not going to Kurt's today."

Kurt's eyes widened. "Oh Marc Jacobs, there are going to be a bunch of jocks descending on my house at any second and I promised to give Puck a ride over."

Mike laughed and pushed Kurt lightly. "No worries. Me and Matt will go to your place and tell them what's up."

Kurt smiled. At least, that was one less things to worry about. "Thank you. By the way, who was your song to Matt?"

Matt pointed at Mike and smiled.

Mike laughed. "I love that tune. It's got such a great beat. We'll see you later."

The gang left Kurt standing outside the glee door, debating whether he should eavesdrop or not. A few minutes later, it wasn't an issue since shouts could clearly be heard through the door.

Kurt threw the door back and rushed in. When he entered, he saw Noah pinned to the wall not trying to get away as Finn punched him in the face. Quinn was screaming and balling her eyes out in one of the glee chairs.

"You took away my girlfriend. You got her drunk and took advantage of her." Finn punched Noah again.

It was clear to Kurt that even though Noah could beat the crap out of Finn, he wasn't even going to raise a finger to defend himself. Kurt was about to pry the taller boy off of his friend when he heard Noah whisper, "September 5th."

Finn's hold slacked in confusion. "What?"

Noah stayed against the wall with his eyes closed head leaning back. "The day that the baby was conceived was September 5th."

Finn let go of Noah as if he had been hit. "No, no, it can't be." Finn turned to Quinn, who had quieted down now that Finn let go of Noah. "Tell me. He's lying."

Quinn shook her head. "No, that was the day but I don't know why it's so important."

Finn started to answer as he fell into a chair next to Quinn. "It's the day..." Finn looked at Noah, who had stiffened as Finn started to speak. "No, it can't be. We hang out every year on that day. I wouldn't have left you alone."

Noah seemed to relax after he knew Finn wasn't going to finish his statement. He shrugged. His voice came out scratchy as if it hadn't been used in years. "You were pretty messed up between whether you wanted to stay with Quinn or be with Rachel so you forgot and I didn't mention it."

Finn had dropped his head into his hand but lift his head as he spoke to Noah. He couldn't suppress the cracks in his voice. "But dude, you're so mess up that day. You don't know left from right. Last year, you got smashed by noon and tried to make me keep up."

Noah looked at his former best friend. "It was ten a.m. this year and Quinn stopped by during prime drinking time. I remember thinking that she could be my drinking buddy so I kept on handing her booze."

Finn shook his head and got up to pace. "But if I had... I mean I should have... Damn it, it should have been me wasted next to you. Kurt's right. This is my fault."

Before Kurt could interject that that was not the point of his rant, Noah moved in front of Finn and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Dude, this is not your fault. Sure if you had been there then it wouldn't have happened but that doesn't make it right that me and Quinn slept together. Honestly, I'm in the wrong there."

Finn looked like he was about to explode with self hatred. "But if I was a better friend..."

Noah interrupted him, "Yeah well, we can play that game all night. If I was a little more sober or a little more drunk. If Quinn hadn't come over that night. If my mom decided to stay home for once on that day. If I hadn't opened the door. If I hadn't given her booze." Noah grabbed Finn in a hug, which Finn returned with the same bone crushing power. Noah pushed Finn back and made sure the taller boy was looking into his eyes as he spoke. "You are still my bro, okay? I'm sorry I fucked up majorly but I'll make it up to you. I promise."

Finn nodded as his eyes dropped his eyes to the floor. "It was a completely fucked up situation all around. I don't forgive you yet but I think I understand now." He looked up at Noah. "I do miss you though dude."

Noah smirked. "Dude, keep the gay stuff for Hummel."

Finn turned to look at Kurt. "Thanks, man."

Kurt shrugged and smiled.

The touching moment was interrupted by Kurt's phone going off. The song 'Poppa Don't Preach' by the Madonna cut through the air. Kurt turned red as he ran out of the room to get the call from his dad. He got to the hallway and answered the call. "Hey, dad."

"Do you want to tell me why I have a bunch of meatheads in my front yards acting like lawn ornaments?" Burt said very annoyed.

"Dad, I told you that I had a study group with the guys." Kurt's voice made it seem as if it was Burt's fault the he had not remember something that Kurt had very much forgot to tell him. He hoped that, with the craziness of the week, he might be able to pull the Kashmir wool over his dad's eyes.

However, Burt was not born yesterday and knew his son's tricks pretty well. "No, you said you had a study session. You failed to mention this was a reoccurring thing."

Kurt's voice hit a slight whiny tone as he tried to reason with his dad. "But dad you said you liked them and they are coming over to study and I promise to clean up afterwards."

The line went silent until Burt's sigh came through. "Fine but only if you guys keep quiet and they are staying in the yard until you get here."

Kurt squealed. "Thank you. Thank you. You are the best dad ever. Oh, they were supposed to bring food and I am going out with Noah after. I love you, bye." He hung up the phone abruptly to stop Burt from arguing. Hopefully, food would calm him down.

Kurt walked back into the classroom to see Noah standing and hugging a crying Quinn as Finn looked longingly at the pair. Kurt felt sorry for the quarterback. Kurt's shoe made a soft slapping sound that brought Noah's head up to look at him. Noah smile's showed how grateful he was for what he had just gotten back.

Noah let go of Quinn and softly pushed her towards Finn. Finn drew the petite blond into a hug, letting her sob into his chest. As Noah stepped back, Kurt saw the power couple that they once were. They were the head cheerleader and the quarterback. When they said something was cool, everyone listened once upon a time. Now, they were just two people in a world of hurt holding onto each other.

Noah grabbed his guitar and patted Finn on the back. He ducked his head and kissed Quinn on her head. "We'll figure this out. The three of us will figure this out." Noah said with a steel in his voice.

Finn nodded at Noah then looked down at Quinn in a way that could only be considered fondness or maybe loving. He wrapped his arms tighter around the ex-cheerleader. "Yeah, we will."

Noah smiled and threw an arm over Kurt's shoulders. As soon as they got into the hallway, Noah dropped his guitar and swung Kurt into a hug. Kurt's bag was digging into...well let's just say some very important parts but as he hugged back, he didn't say a thing.

When they separated, Noah held onto Kurt's shoulder much like he had done with Finn. "Thank you. Thank you for getting me my best friend back for me. Thank you for giving me a chance of getting to know my kid. Thank you for sticking up for me. Thank you for getting Quinn and Finn back together."

Kurt smiled at the thanks until the last one came out. "I didn't do the last one."

Noah laughed and picked up his guitar. He started to walk to the parking lot. "Not yet but you will."

Kurt jogged a little and caught up to Noah. "I will?"

Noah nodded. "Finn had a moment of weakness with Rachel. Did you see how he looked at Quinn? Despite everything, he still loves her." Noah finished excitedly. He went to the passenger side of Kurt's SUV.

Kurt pushed the button on his keys to open the doors then went to the back and placed his bags in the trunk. Kurt then preceeded to the drivers seat still contemplating Noah's idea. "I thought you liked Quinn."

Noah shrugged. "Yeah, but I like her in the way you like your best friend's girl. She might be hot but she is a non-entity. I like her because she treats Finn right and she is not horrible to me. That isn't the beginning of a relationship. Don't get me wrong. If she decided that she wanted me to step up and take care of her and the kid, I would be there. But she will always be Finn's girl somewhere in my head. Also, I would pick Finn's friendship over her in a second and that's not a good sign."

Kurt backed out of his spot and started to drive to his house. "But you slept with her."

Noah let his head drop back. "Princess, I was so messed up that day, I would have let Sue Sylvester bang me."

Realizing that this was probably going to be his only chance of asking, Kurt softly voiced his question. "What is September 5th?"

Noah let the question stand in the air for few seconds before answering. "It's the day my dad left. My mom takes my sister to temple for the whole day and I sit at home, usually with Finn, acting all sorts of dickish. Or at least I did until I found booze. Now, I just get smashed all day. Finn started the tradition the year after He left since Finn noticed I got really upset on the days leading up to the anniversary. One day, he heard our parents talking about what happened so he tried to cheer me up. He just showed up at the ass crack of dawn with toys and videos when I was eight on September 5th. That's when I knew he would be my best friend forever."

Kurt didn't know what to say so he put his right hand on Noah's arm, which was laying on the armrest. Noah tensed for a second but didn't move his arm from under the pale hand. The rest of the ride was silent. When they turned onto Kurt's street, Kurt leaned forward. There were cars lining the front of his house and a football game taking place in the street. No wonder his dad called him. Kurt parked his car a few houses down and grabbed his things. As he got closer, he saw that the boys had setup shop in his front yard. They had blankets and coolers out. A few had gotten foldable chairs out. They made his front yard look like a beach. Berry looked like he trying tan since he had his shirt off and was flopped on the grass next to one of the coolers.

The most amusing part to Kurt was that fact that the best behaved person was Azimio, who was standing next to the door with two bags seeming to be brimming with food. Kurt decided that since he didn't want to deal with the mess his teammates had made, he was just going to sneak in the front door and let the food...Azimio in. He would just let Noah take care of the rest especially since Noah had started walking up to the football game and called a stop to it.

Azimio saw Kurt approach the door and slightly lifted the bags in his hands. Kurt opened the door and let Azimio in. "I said food not the whole store." Kurt quirked to Azimio as let boy through.

Azimio shrugged and followed Kurt to the kitchen. "I didn't know what you wanted so I just grabbed some stuff from my mom's kitchen."

Kurt nodded. It didn't help that Azimio was probably worried about someone getting upset thus causing him to be thrown in the dumpster tomorrow. "Tell you what, let's put your stuff in the dining room until we know what else we got. I don't want you to get into trouble with your mom for stealing all the food in her kitchen."

As he sat the food on the kitchen island, Azimio snorted. "My mom owns a restaurant in town. This is all left overs from yesterday that she had to bring home. She usually has some extras floating around the house somewhere and she loves it when me and my sisters give it to our friends."

Kurt's curiosity was peaked. "What restaurant?"

"Mama B's..." Azimio started.

Kurt's eyes widened as he zoomed in on the food. "...baroque and cajun? Your mom owns Mama B's!"

Kurt heard someone coming in the door and looked back to food. He moved to block the jock's view of the food. Considering how lean he was, Kurt wasn't very successful.

Noah walked into the kitchen and noticed Kurt trying to hide something behind his back and Azimio staring at Kurt as if he had gone crazy. "What's behind your back?"

Kurt's mind was still on the wonderful bags of deliciousness behind him. "Food, what food... I mean I don't know what you mean." He tried to look like he was causally leaning up against the island inspecting his nails.

Noah smiled, grabbed Kurt, picked him up and moved him to the side. Kurt squeaked as he was moved. He quickly tried to block Noah in order to keep the food from the bronze colored teen. "Isn't there more food outside?"

Noah nodded, "But I want what was behind your back."

Kurt finally broke and decided to bribe the teen. "Azimio brought food from Mama B's. If you don't tell anyone else, I'll split it in fourths."

Azimio spoke up. "Fourths?"

Kurt slightly towards the teen while keeping an eye on Noah's advancement. "I have to bribe my dad for letting us study here."

Noah grabbed Kurt in a headlock. "Princess, we are a team. Share and share alike."

Kurt nodded. He knew he should share. It was just so delicious. "Fine, deny me my food."

The linebacker interrupted again. "You can have my share. I ate some before you came."

Kurt turned and smiled widely at Azimio. "You are prince among men." He twirled back to Noah. "You could learn something from him."

Noah laughed. "How are you going to rule the world if people can bribe you with food?"

Kurt got the plastic plates from the walk-in pantry. "Maybe my plan is to pretend to take over the world so people will just keep plying me with food." He turned to Azimio. "Could you get the rest of the guys?"

Azimio nodded as he walked out to the lawn laughing.

Kurt watched him go. "I think he is mellowing to me."

Noah laughed. "You just like anyone who gives you food."

Kurt replied. "Well, aren't you lucky that you have a direct line to the good stuff then?"

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

Everyone ate to excess that night. Between the food Azimio brought, two extra large pizza, and two pans of cupcakes, everyone was almost in a food coma. Well, everyone except Kurt, who had a plate next to him that he kept munching on as they went through the study session.

Azimio found a seat next to Kurt and he kept on glancing at the teen through out the session. Finally, Kurt had had enough of that. "What, Azimio?"

The linebacker shrugged. "I'm just wondering where you put it all. No offense but I could break you like a twig."

The last comment got a deep growl and an evil glare from Noah, who was sitting on the other side of Kurt.

Azimio put his hands up to try to calm Noah down. "I didn't mean anything by it. But seriously, you are as skinny as a rail and you ate more than anyone else."

Berry leaned forward. "It's his secret power. He can make ever anything disappear into his mouth."

Josh wasn't thinking and said, "Especially dick." The room went silent as Josh's eyes went wide. "I didn't mean it like that. I'd say that to any of the other guys. I don't mean that you aren't one of the guys. I mean you're one of the guys just... I'm going to go stand in the corner now."

Kurt knew that he had to say something because he didn't want the guys to get uncomfortable near him. He just didn't mean to say what he did. "Wouldn't know. Never tried."

The silence was back. Maybe that hadn't been the best response. Josh finally asked, figuring he was already in the dog house. "So how do you know you, you know?"

Kurt giggled. "I think Puck says as queer as a two dollar bill?" Kurt shrugged. "I don't know. Whenever someone talked about how hot a girl was, all I could think about is how she wasn't wearing the right shoes to go with that top. I mean I tried to do the straight thing. I messed around with a girl once but nothing happened. Later, I saw a picture of a topless actor and pop goes the weasel."

Berry laughed. "Pop goes the weasel."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Fine." He dropped his voice. "I got as hard as steel, player. Kabam!" The room started laughing at Kurt's impression. "Guys, it's just like being straight. Just like you don't get that I think guys are hot, I really don't see the attraction when it comes to women. And it's not like I want every guy I come across. You're not crazy about every girl you see and I'm not panting over guys in the locker room."

Noah spoke up. "Well, except me. Everyone wants a piece of Puckazilla." He got up and flexed his guns causing Kurt to laugh.

Jason chimed in. "No way, I'm totally ripped. If anyone, he'd be after me." Jason took off his shirt to show off his muscles.

It started a trend and soon all the boys except Azimio and Kurt were topless. Kurt's eyes were firmly locked onto the linebacker as he heard shouts of debate on who was the hottest guy in the room. A few of the guys even tried to get Kurt to judge the proceedings.

Azimio looked confused and amused at what was going on. "Are they always like this?"

Kurt laughed slightly wildly and shook his head. "No idea but this is the first time, I've been in a room full of topless men, who are asking me to rate them."

Azimio laughed genuinely. "Dude... I mean Hummel, you're so red."

Kurt's hands went to his cheeks and felt them burning up. "I blame Noah."

Noah's voice came from right next to him. Against his better judgement, he looked towards Noah's voice and came face to face with boxer with little hearts on them. Kurt snapped his eyes shut before screaming, "What happened to your pants?"

The laughter was clear in Noah's voice. "Michaels said he had better calves so I had to prove him wrong."

Kurt stood up and was inches from a pretty underdressed Noah. "Okay, I'm going up for two minutes. When I get back, can we please study for the history test with people's clothes on?"

Noah winked. "I knew I was distracting you, princess."

Kurt rolled his eyes and went up his stairs, trying not to look at the half naked bodies around his room. Kurt was very tempted to look at all the guys in his bedroom but knew it would only make the boys more rowdy. Kurt muttered under his breath when he reached the top of the stairs and closed the door behind him. "Just my luck. The first time a guy is topless in my room, there are a dozen guys comparing muscle tone with him."

Kurt heard a voice next to him and jumped. "There are topless boys in your room?"

"Gucci, dad, you scared me. And yes, there are half naked boys in my room. Feel free to find your gun and shoot at will." Kurt said as he went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Burt laughed. "Now, why would I do that? I thought you didn't want to be a pariah."

Kurt turned to Burt. "Please, make me a pariah. I started explaining how even though I was gay, it didn't mean I wanted them and somehow it became a competition of which one I wanted. I don't understand boys."

Burt gave his son a hug. "Sadly, we don't really get much smarter than that later in life son. We just learn to fake it better."

Kurt buried his head in the nook of his father's neck. "Great. I'm staying single forever."

Burt laughed. "Words every dad wants to hear."

Jokingly, Kurt pushed his dad away. The two just stood there for a second. "So what are your plans for this weekend?" Burt asked.

Kurt shrugged. "TV night with you tomorrow, Saturday morning manicures with Tina and Mercedes, Sunday is up in the air as of right now."

Burt winced. "Yeah, about tomorrow... Finn got some tickets to a monster truck rally but it's a few towns over so we are going right after school tomorrow and we won't be back until sometime Saturday. And Carole wants to have dinner on Saturday so maybe we can hang out on Sunday? Would that be okay?"

Kurt almost wanted to make up some last minute excuse for why he was busy on Sunday. It wasn't fair that he was pushed back to whatever slot Finn and Carole didn't fill. But he had enough drama for one day so he bit his tongue. "Sure, dad. Sounds great."

Before Burt could say anything else, Kurt turned his back to his dad and walked down the steps to his room. The first person to realize that he was back was Noah. He must have noticed Kurt not seemingly like his normal perky self since he started to get up. Kurt shook his head, took a deep breath and smiled widely. "I'm glad you all didn't destroy my room while I was gone."

He glance to see Josh on his computer. He wasn't worried until the jock turned and asked him, "Hey, where's your porn?"

"My what?" Kurt asked, a little taken aback from the very out of left field question.

Josh smiled wickedly as many of the guys laughed. "Porn. You know what you crank your shank to?"

Berry chimed in. "Wax your rod?"

Someone said, "Burp your worm?"

"Clean your pipes?" Berry said.

"Molest the mole?" Jason said.

Noah said, "Do the one manned tango?"

Azimio added, "Beat the meat?"

Why are boys so special? Kurt wondered as he started laughing. "Yeah, I know what porn is and what to do with it. The question is why you are look for porn that I may or may not have."

"Michaels wanted to see what anal sex was like." Berry said but was soon was hit by Michaels. "Why did you hit me? You're the one that asked."

Michaels glared. "Yeah but you were the one who started to look for porn."

Kurt turned to Noah, "And what did you do?"

Noah smiled. "I encouraged the boys to understand you better."

Kurt frowned at Noah. "In other words, you egged them on." Kurt scanned around the room. All of the boys seemed somewhat interested in what was going on. It was odd that they seemed to using porn as a gateway to get to know him better but maybe Noah's theory on teenage boys and sex was coming into play here. "Anyway, no porn to be had in my room."

Noah wiggled his eyebrow. "So you are saying that we should try other rooms."

Kurt laughed and lifted his hands in defeat. "I give up. I'm going to study for my test. If anyone wants to study, speak now or just go back to what you were doing."

Most of the guys went back to the books but out of the corner of his eye, Kurt thought he saw the guys try to poke their heads into the corners of the room to see if Kurt had anything interesting hid. The room quieted down except for the occasional question on the subjects that had been covered earlier that night. The low hum of people talking and the stress of the day added together made Kurt doze off in his textbook.

A little while later, Kurt was woken by a light shake. He saw Jason looking at him. "Hey, little man, I think most of us are going to bounce. Thanks for letting us come over."

Kurt stretched and tried to get out of his chair only to be pushed back down by Noah. Kurt glared for a second before curling into a ball in his chair. He heard the football team laugh softly but it seemed a fond, easy laugh. From the softly spoken orders Kurt over heard, Noah seemed to be ushering people out of his room while Kurt relaxed back in the world betwixt sleep and the real world.

He opened his eyes a little to see Azimio packing up. He put his hand on Azimio's sleeve, stopping the boy's movements. Kurt managed to sound like a five year old kid who desperately trying to stay awake as he talked to Azimio. "Thank you for coming and not putting me in the dumpster today. And the food. Thank you for the food."

Azimio laughed. "You sound like my kid sis."

Kurt was so tired he didn't know he was pouting. "I'm not a girl."

Azimio agreed. "But you are a kid. I'm sorry for what I did to you."

Kurt smiled softly as he let go of the linebacker's shirt. "It's okay. 'our better now. All shiny."

Azimio smiled and left the room.

Kurt had thought everyone had left as sleep was overcoming him, when he was lifted from his chair. He opened his eyes and saw Noah had picked him up. Deciding that this was okay by him, Kurt cuddled into the bigger man's chest. His response earned him a laugh, whose rumblings he felt against his cheek. He was soon placed in his bed yet Kurt, even in his sleep addled mind, realized that he didn't want to go to bed. He had somewhere else he wanted to be. "Bed bad. Barb's."

Kurt heard Noah laugh again. "Bed good. Barb's later."

When his comforter was wrapped around him, Kurt nodded to the wise words. "Tomorrow."

He felt a hand play with his hair. "Sure, princess. Tomorrow."

Kurt smiled and let sleep finally overtake him.


	13. Chapter 13

Kurt stretched and tried to figure out why he was awake so early. The alarm on his phone hadn't gone off yet. Actually he glanced at his night stand, he didn't know where his phone was. He didn't really remember much past falling asleep in his book. Well, he remembered floating but that had to be a dream.

Kurt got up and realized that he was still in his clothes from the night before. He shook his head. Now, he didn't even change into PJs. Noah was such a bad influence. He laughed as he got ready for his shower.

As he stepped into the shower, he thought about the coming night. His dad was ditching him, again. It wasn't fair. He was lucky that Noah and the boys were there last night or he would have spent most of the night sobbing into his pillow. Each time his dad choose Finn over him, it hurt just a little bit more.

He put his hands against the wall for a second, trying to take some of the strength of the wall into himself before he reached for his moisturizing body scrub. As he washed his body, he looked at his pale skin as if it was for the first time. He was paler than his mother had been. She had seemingly flawless skin and Kurt always wanted the ivory complexion her but it seemed that he had gone a step too far. His sicken looked a little pasty right now but then again he really wasn't feeling a hundred percent right now.

Kurt sighed. Was it that he had tried to imitate her and failed that his dad couldn't stand? Or was it that he had taken it so far that he now was the male version of his mom that made his dad try to distance himself from Kurt? He knew that he shouldn't change who is for anyone but this was his dad. His dad was the one who would get him outrageous outfits when he was little just to see him smile. The man who used to take him to the makeup counter of the mall and let him pick out new shades of powder before he was old enough to go by himself. This was the man who had been there at every ballet, every musical and every play he could manage to get tickets for even though he hated it to just spend some time with his son. Where had that dad gone? Had he seen that all his effort wasn't worth it especially when there was someone like Finn, who didn't need all of those things that made him uncomfortable? Had he realized exactly how high maintenance Kurt was and decided to trade him in for a more practical model?

Kurt tried to push all of those dark thoughts out of his head. Maybe, this was just a phase that his dad had to go through. Like when Kurt tried to be emo for a month because it was new and different but decided that it was too hard being that depressed all the time. Also, he hated the hair styles. They were completely tragic.

Kurt finished his shower and started on the rest of his morning routine with a disconnected feeling. He felt uncomfortable in his own skin for the first time in a long time. He felt like he was back in the closet waiting for people to find his deep dark secret but this time he didn't know how to get out. Really, how did one ask for their dad's attention without coming off as a whiny self-absorbed child?

Kurt put on his robe and walked to his closet. He grabbed the first thing he could find and threw it on. He hadn't spent as much time as he normally would on his hair but he decided to hide it under new hat he found the last time he went shopping. Kurt climbed the stairs, grabbed a piece of pizza and munched on it as he exited the house. He walked over to the garage when he remembered that he parked his car down the street. Kurt took out his phone to call Noah to see if they had defense class tonight. If not he was going to talk to Mercedes into having a movie night at his place. Seriously, if he didn't have plans with his dad, he wanted to catch up with his ebony friend. He had a feeling that she would find his new bodyguards very amusing. After he dialed Noah's number, he looked up from his phone to his car. As he heard, Noah say hello and dropped his phone from his ear and onto the ground. Then he screamed.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

Noah arrived at Kurt's house as fast as his truck could take him. He found Kurt collapsed in the middle of his driveway bawling his eyes out. Noah grabbed Kurt and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy before asking, "Princess, why are you crying? What is going on?"

All Kurt did in response was point at his car.

When Noah looked at the Navigator, he understood why Kurt was so upset. The car did not look like the baby Kurt had always gone on and on about anymore. It looked like someone had taken a bat to it. The normally spotless paint job had spray paint and eggs all over it. All of the windows were broken and it looked like the hood was pried up. Noah wanted to check how bad was the car was from up close but understand his first priority was Kurt.

Noah pulled the crying boy closer to him and carried him back to the house. He stopped at the door and softly asked Kurt to open it. After a few minutes of gently coaxing to try and make Kurt respond, he dropped Kurt's feet and wrapped his arm tightly around the skinner boy as he searched him for the keys to the front door. When he found them and unlocked the door, he tried led Kurt in but he quickly realized that Kurt was too much in shock to really understand what was going on. He lifted Kurt again into his arms and moved through the house until they reached the living room.

Once there, Noah tried to settle Kurt onto the couch but the still sobbing boy wouldn't let him go. He finally sat down and allowed Kurt to climb into his lap. Noah started to rub the boy's back. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. It's okay, princess. You are fine."

Kurt finally started to calm down as Noah kept repeating his assurances to Kurt. When Kurt finally started to breath normally, Noah pulled away to look at the other teen. Kurt looked devastated in a way that Noah hadn't thought possible. Kurt went through the hell being gay in high school with a grace that shamed most people and to see him so completely wrecked was heart breaking.

Noah softly spoke. "Princess, is there anyone you want here?"

Kurt nodded. His voice cracked as he tried to stop the sobs that were waiting to start up again. "My dad."

Noah nodded. It was clear that Kurt was closed to his dad so it was no surprise that Kurt wanted him to be there. "Where is your phone?"

Kurt blinked at the larger boy. He was very fussy with what was going on. He thought for a second. "Outside."

Noah tried to get up but was stopped by Kurt. "I have to get up to get your phone, princess."

Kurt started to freak out. "No! He might still be out there. Don't go!" Noah was the only thing keeping him sane. If the Noah left, so would the slight feeling of protection against the monster who had targeted him at home. The thing that had destroyed his precious baby.

Noah closed his eyes as he tried to trying to regroup. He then nodded and reached for his cellphone. "Okay, what is your dad's number?"

Kurt put his head back against Noah's chest as the other boy dialed the number. The heartbeat he could hear and feel through the sweater and jacket Noah was wearing, seemed like a soft lullaby to Kurt who quieted due to its calming sound. A few seconds later, Noah handed his phone to Kurt.

Kurt heard the phone ring twice before his dad answered.

Burt's voice came over the phone. "Hummel's..."

Kurt's voice cut him off. There was too much he wanted to say. He wanted his dad to make it all better like he had when he was little. He tried to speak but ended up sobbing again. "Daddy... My car ...I ...daddy ...why ...we ...I don't ...daddy ...why..."

Noah ripped the phone away from Kurt. "God, princess. You're probably giving your dad a heart attack. I'll talk to him"

Bawling, Kurt buried his head into Noah's shoulder as he listened to Noah talk to his dad.

"Hello, Mr. Hummel... No, sir. He is physically fine... I swear he is. His car is just totaled...No, sir. I didn't call them yet...No, I can call. I have a connection at the police department. They'll take care of it... Actually, I haven't gone near it. Haven't been able to leave Kurt long enough to check it out...Yes, sir. I'll stay until you get here...No problem, sir... See you in a few."

Noah hung up the phone and went back to calming his charge down. "You're dad will be here in a little bit. He will probably be running every light on the way here, too. You're fine. I just have to call Berry."

Kurt shook his head. "No... I don't... don't want anyone... to know." Kurt said in between wet breaths.

Noah nodded. "I understand but his dad's a cop. A good one."

Kurt shook his head. "No."

Noah frowned. "Not going to listen about this. We need to call the cops. It's better that it's Berry's dad than some other guy. Trust me." Noah pushed Kurt off his lap and got up to pace the room. He dialed Berry's number and started to speak. "Berry, need a favor... No, but I do need your dad... Shit went down at Hummel... No, he's okay..." Noah looked at Kurt before answering. "I don't think he's up for that right now... No, I'll call if he needs anything... I'll tell him. Just get your dad here now!" Noah hung up. He looked at Kurt. "Berry really needs to learn how to shut up." He went back to Kurt and pulled the slight boy to him.

The two just sat there completely silent except for Kurt's sniffing until they heard the front door open. Both of the teens tensed until they saw Burt come into the room. Kurt instantly got up, flung himself onto his dad and started to cry again. The elder Hummel grabbed onto Kurt so hard that the teen had a difficult time breathing but he didn't complain. He was just too content with the safety found in his dad's arms.

Burt eventually let go of the tight hold he had on his son and moved them to the couch, where Burt sat right next to Kurt with an arm pulling the teen close. "Thank God you're not hurt. You scared the crap out of me, Kurt. I don't know what I would do without you." Burt kissed the top of Kurt's head. He tucked Kurt closer to his body.

The doorbell rang as the two Hummels were huddled together. Burt raised his head and nodded at Noah before passing Kurt to the other boy. Noah grabbed Kurt and pulled him into his lap. They heard Burt talking to someone else and they sounded like they were coming towards them.

A tall man with blond hair came in the door. Though he had a nice little beer belly going for him, Kurt could see the family resemblance in the bright blue eyes and the easy smile. The man didn't even raise an eyebrow to the fact that Kurt was in Noah's lap. He just pulled a chair in front of Kurt and smiled slightly.

"Now son, I'm Berry's dad, Officer Willis. Berry told me how you were helping him with school. I want to thank you for that." Officer Willis said.

Kurt tried to smile but failed.

The easy smile disappeared from the officer's face. "Berry also told me though that you have been bullied at school."

Kurt's eyes went to his dad. The news seemed to tighten his already rigid stance. Kurt looked back at Officer Willis and nodded.

Officer Willis took out a notepad and pen. "Could you tell me who has been causing you the most trouble?"

Kurt paused for a moment. "It is mostly just pranks. It's really not that big of a deal. Noah and the rest of football team already put a stop it."

Noah snorted. "The only person who is still has it in for Kurt would be Karofsky. David Karofsky."

Officer Willis leaned back. "That last name always means trouble." He shook his head then moved forward again. "I'll check into it but first I need you to tell me what happened."

Kurt's eyes glazed over as he spoke. "I don't know." Everything was out of focus and surreal to him right now.

Noah spoke up again. "I was on the phone with Kurt when he found his car. I was pretty shocked to see it so messed up. It was fine when the guys gave me a ride back to my car last night."

Officer Willis started to jot down notes. "What time was that?"

Noah shrugged. "About 10:30ish, I think. You can ask Berry. He was the one that dropped me off."

Officer Willis nodded. "I'm going to go check on the car." He got up and turned to Burt. "Do you mind if we take it with us?"

Kurt said yes at the same time Burt said no. Both of the adults gave Kurt a measuring, look causing him to retreat into Noah.

"It's just a car, Kurt. We don't know who did this and if next time he will come after you physically... I'll get you another one." Burt said as he turned to the officer, "Just catch who did this."

Kurt let Noah's hands calm him as he thought about how his baby wasn't just a car. It was his sixteenth birthday present. He had jokingly asked for a Cadie from his dad who had said it was a silly idea to give kids cars as soon as they got a license. When he actually got the Navigator, he didn't stop running from hugging it to hugging his dad for a solid ten minutes. It was even more perfect than he had ever imagined. It got even better since the first few weeks after his birthday his dad and him had tweaked it for more power as well as put in a better stereo system. They had worked hours on his baby. It was a part of him and his dad and now someone ripped it away from him.

Kurt knew whatever was written on the car was not pleasant. He knew it was going to be about him hateful things about him being gay. He had gotten it enough at school but for them to come to his safe place... It was horrifying. What was stopping these people from coming into his house? He felt Noah hold onto him tighter as he started to shake at the thought.

Noah started to talk. "Come on, princess. Let's get you up. Maybe if you get into something more comfortable, you'll feel better."

Kurt turned to Noah. "I want to see my car. I want to see my baby before they take it away."

Noah froze under Kurt. "Princess, I don't think that's a good idea. It was pretty fucked up."

Tears started silently rolling down Kurt's cheeks. "It's my baby. It's my pride and joy. I can't let them take it without seeing it. I can't."

Noah wiped the tears off of Kurt's cheeks. "Okay but if your dad comes charging at us, I'm pushing you in his way. I remember he has a gun." The joke fell flat but Kurt appreciate the thought behind it.

The two slowly walked to where Kurt's car was. There were two police cars sitting in front of Kurt's house and the neighbors, who had probably just gotten ready for work, were lined up trying to see what had happened. The police had the area around the car taped off and were taking pictures of the damage. Kurt knew that there wasn't the best chance of catching the guy who did it unless he left finger prints. Lima did not have the money to invest in crazy CSI technology especially over a sixteen year old's car. Kurt stopped to pick up his phone and continued with Noah by his side to his car.

It looked even worse up close. The windows were completely shattered and the frame of the windows were bent. They even managed to break the sunroof's glass and create a hole in the roof. The hood was yanked up and the battery was on the ground next to the car. The vandals were smart enough to cut the power to the alarm system, which was probably why no one reported it last night. It looked like they then put a sledge hammer to the engine. All that work his dad and he done was gone. There were eggs and rocks in and around the car. The stains and dents showed that they had been used in combination with hammers and bats on the body of the car. There even looked like there were scorch marks in the interior of the car as if they had tried to light the seats on fire but failed. But it was the words that were the worst. It left no doubt that this was not a random crime. One side of the car said "burn faggot burn" with crude flames underneath. The other side had a penis and the word "cocksucker" next to it.

Kurt held his head high as he walked around the car. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his dad arguing with Noah, probably about the wisdom of him being out to the car. After he looked at the destruction, he walked over to where his dad and Noah were. His dad gave Noah one last glare before turning to face him. "I'll take care of this, Kurt. Why don't you go in and try to relax?"

Kurt wanted to object. How was he supposed to relax after what had happened? He didn't know if he was ever going to feel safe in his own front yard again. But his dad had his no-nonsense face on which meant nothing that Kurt could say would sway the man. Kurt moved slowly away from the car back to the house. He didn't know why he felt so drained but all he wanted was sleep. He walked past Noah, knowing that the wide receiver would follow him. He was too tired to go down to his room so he went back to the couch in the living room and curled up into a ball. A few minutes later, he felt the throw being put on him. Someone then sat on the little space between the couch and his stomach and started to run a hand through his hair. He looked up to see Noah looking at him with concern. Kurt laid a hand on his friend's knee and tried to smiled.

"Thank you, Noah." He said softly as the stress of the day took its toll on him and pulled him into sleep.

Noah replied back "Anytime, princess" just as Kurt nodded off.


	14. Chapter 14

Kurt awoke to the smell of baking. The sugary tang filled the air and slowly brought him to reality. Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was his dad sitting on a chair just a few feet away from him. The chair was the same one Officer Willis had used but was now a few feet farther way yet still turned to face him. His dad must have noticed the change in his alertness since he got out of his chair and walked over to Kurt. Burt combed a hand through Kurt's hair just like Noah had done as he went to sleep.

"Hey, there kid. How are you feeling?" Burt asked.

Kurt shrugged. How was he supposed to feel? Out of everything he owned, his car was the most precious. Yes, even more than his Alexander McQueen jacket that he better be buried in. He was mad, sad, scared, worried, tired and depressed. Basically not good.

Burt looked at Kurt before asking with a little hurt in his voice. "Why didn't you tell me about the bullying?"

Kurt sat up and wrapped the blanket around him. He turned and looked at his father, who looked so dejected. He didn't know what to say, really. "Dad, it's not that big of a deal. It's just some stupid pranks."

Burt looked at his son annoyed. "A stupid prank? The way that Officer Willis made it seem there was more than that. God Kurt, a cop who has never met either one of us knows more about what is happening in your life than I do."

Kurt wrapped the blanket closer to him. "Noah and the rest of the football team took care of it so I didn't want to worry you."

"Kurt, it's my job to worry about you. It's the only reason why I'm here. You are a teenager. It is your job to keep me insane and worried but you can't make me insane if I don't know that there is something to worry about." Burt finished almost yelling at Kurt.

Kurt didn't really understand how that last statement worked but decided to nod. He realized that he should have told his dad but his dad couldn't have helped the same way the other boys had. Noah and the rest made his life at school so much easier. Maybe someone thought that this was the payback he deserved for being at ease with what he was in public but it wasn't fair on his dad to suffer through it too. That was the main reason he never told his dad. It was bad enough that he had to live through the trials of being gay in a small town like Lima but he didn't want anyone he cared about to suffer as well.

He looked at his dad and tried to smile. "Dad, I'm okay. It was just some silly pranks. If it got really bad, I would tell you." Okay, so maybe he wouldn't have told his dad considering his left side was still a little tender to the touch but he had a feeling that Noah probably would after what happened today.

Burt sat down next to Kurt and pulled him close. "It starts with a prank. Then it is just a little mishap and it gets worse from there. There is someone who has enough hate in his heart to do what he did to your car. I don't want to get a phone call saying that someone decided that it was all in good fun to do the same thing to you."

Kurt snuggled up to his dad. "I know but someone is always going to object to me. Some because I'm gay. Some because I'm sixteen. Some because I'm more fabulous than them. I'm being careful but you can't keep me here forever."

Burt gave his son a measuring look. "I don't know. I think you are smart enough for homeschooling."

Kurt huffed. "I just started moving up the social ladder at school so of course you would want to homeschool me. You're so cruel."

Burt smiled fondly at his son. "That's another job of a parent. To make sure you are never really popular. We just dangling the idea right in front of you and then yank it away."

The Hummels stayed lumped together until the doorbell rang through out the house. Burt growled and got up. He then turned and yanked Kurt to his feet. "Go check what Betty Crocker's doing in the kitchen."

Kurt shuffled into the kitchen with the throw still surrounding him. When he reached the doorway, he saw Noah behind the stove cooking a Spanish omelet with hash browns on the pan next to it. Noah looked up to see Kurt moving around and he smiled widely.

"So the princess awaketh?" Noah said.

Kurt nodded and smiled at Noah. "You stayed."

Noah took the omelette off the stove and plated it for Kurt. Kurt looked at it and it was perfect. He wasn't hungry at all but he didn't think he could say no to Noah. He reached his right hand out of the throw so he could eat while grabbing the throw with the other hand so he stayed covered. He took a bite and it was every bit as delicious as he remembered the food at the diner being. He smiled at Noah, who was watching him very carefully. After the first bite, Kurt's appetite came back with a vengeance. He started to scarf down his meal and gestured to the hash browns with his eyes. Noah laughed and gave put the hash browns on Kurt's plate. He then turned back to the stove and started making more food, which Kurt hoped was also for him. As he shoveled another fork full in his mouth, Kurt heard many footsteps coming into the kitchen. He looked to the doorway and his eyes widen with horror. He saw his dad, Josh and Berry standing in the doorway. He didn't want anyone here. But there they were, standing in the doorway with a bag of some sort.

Berry finally spoke up. "Hummel, we heard about what happened and we had to come."

Kurt didn't say a word so Noah took over the conversation. "I thought your dad wasn't allowed to say anything. Kurt wanted to keep this whole thing quiet."

Berry nodded. "Well... actually...um... He didn't say anything but when I called him a little while ago, he said it was bad. And then he gave the day off if I wanted to come see you so I knew that wasn't good and then I remembered that you said that you would call but you didn't so that wasn't good and then I was talking to Josh about ditching because if I ditch, Josh is going to want to ditch but when I told him there might have been other people around and so the guys kind of heard and then they told some people and what was I saying again?"

Josh just started to shake his head. "Sorry, he's not really good at lying or guilt really. He becomes the energizer bunny with verbal diarrhea. This is why we don't tell Berry anything. He can't keep secrets."

Kurt's face turned paler. Everyone knew what happened. His whole school knew the whole thing. No, this was not happening.

Kurt watched Noah move away from the stove and start to advance on Berry, who was trying to hide behind Josh. Josh, however, thought that he deserved any punishment that Noah handed out so he was trying to get out of the wide receiver's way.

Berry saw a small opening to get to Kurt and he took it. He grabbed Kurt and tried to keep him between Noah and himself. Kurt was too upset to realize what was happening.

"Wait, you can't kill me yet." Berry pleaded as he saw Kurt wasn't helping.

Noah growled. "Give me one good reason."

Berry gestured at the bag he still had in his hand. "I brought food. And Hummel likes food. And I have a funny story." He pleaded with Noah and Kurt.

Noah looked annoyed but stopped advancing. Josh snorted and Burt just looked amused and confused by the teenagers. Noah finally nodded for him to continue but only after he grabbed Kurt and brought the smaller boy snug against him. It looked odd with Kurt still buried in his throw and Noah's arms wrapped around him but they also looked comfortable with the arrangement.

Kurt was starting to come out of his stupor and he began to figure out what damage control that he was had to do. He knew that he couldn't just sulk around the house because his car was gone. First of all, he was a Hummel and Hummels don't run from their problems. Second of all, he wasn't going to let the bastards that did this to him think that they had scared him. Yes, they did scare the bejesus out of him but Trya Banks, he wasn't going to show. And anyway, this wasn't the first time and it wasn't going to be the last time someone did something horribly traumatizing to him. Hello, over a year of dumpster duty and slushies were under his belt. Add in the swirls, being stuffed in lockers, the torn cloths and the broken cologne bottles that had started in middle school and it was almost just another day. Okay so it wasn't another day, but he had his friends around him now. If he wanted, he would have another break down later when no one was watching him. Not in front of these people who had just started to get to know him and were trying to show that they cared. He was still going to kill Berry, however. Berry deserved that, the big mouth.

"Okay, you know that crazy chick that Noah's been bumping uglies..." Berry suddenly stopped and looked at Burt who didn't look happy with the word choice. "I mean the girl that Noah has been with on and off again."

Noah smiled at the evil glare on Burt Hummel's face. "Yeah, Santana."

Berry started to bounce on his toes. "So she was in found out what happened and she went postal. She started bitching out anyone who she thought wasn't sympathetic enough then Karofsky... Karofsky..." Berry started to laugh then composed himself. "Karofsky came down the hall saying his usual sh...stuff. Well, she jumped him and started wailing on the f...guy... It took me and Josh to get her off of him... The look on Karofsky's face was priceless. He had no idea what had happened or why. He just knew that he had a black eye, a split lip and some scratch marks down his face."

Kurt listened with horror then delight. He would have loved to see the tiny cheerleader take down the linebacker. "She didn't."

Berry smiled. "She did and it was amazing."

Noah snorted and tighten his hold on Kurt. "I'm sure she did. The girl is a little crazy."

Burt interrupted. "Did the kid say anything about what happened to Kurt's car?"

Berry shook his head. "When she was wailing on him, he was really confused about anything happening to Hummel. He kept saying he hadn't seen him in a few days and that he wouldn't...um...I mean he said...I told my dad what he said. I just can't say it here." Berry looked at Josh for help.

Josh stepped forward. "Nothing good came out of his mouth but he didn't seem to know what happened to the our little bottomless pit's car. He looked just as confuse as everyone else."

Kurt snorted. There was no way that Karofsky didn't have something to do with what happened. It was just too big of a coincidence that Karofsky got thrown in the dumpster and his car got destroyed.

The doorbell rang again and Burt went to get it. Berry took a few steps closer to Kurt but looked worried about how Noah kept a very watchful on him. He opened the bag to let Kurt see what it was. It was a pie with a box of pastries from La-La's underneath it. "We told the lady there that you were having a bad day and she packed what she said were your favorite things."

Kurt didn't make any gesture to reach for the box but leaned forward slightly.

Berry must have taken it as a sign of him doing something right as he rattled off the pastries in the box. "Well, she gave as a bear claw, two swiss rolls, a lemon filled eclair, some frog looking thing..."

Kurt moved quickly and grabbed the bag from Berry before moving back up against Noah. "Mine!"

Berry looked at Kurt with puppy dog eyes. "Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

Kurt had a hand down the bag trying to reach the pastries when Noah took control of the bag from him. The taller teen pulled Kurt back to where he had been eating breakfast and sat the boy down with his hand still in the bag. Kurt looked at him oddly but started to glare as Noah tried to take the bag away from him. "No! Mine!" He turned to Berry. "Berry tell Noah that they are mine."

Noah didn't wait for Berry to speak. "You can have as much sugar as your little black hole of a stomach demands after you eat your breakfast."

Someone cleared their throat's behind Kurt. Kurt turned to see Jason standing there with Burt and a bag of McDonald's in his hand. "I have some MickeyD's if you don't like what Puck's got you eating."

Noah rolled his eyes and grabbed McDonald's and started a little pile of later food for Kurt at the other end of the table. "He's going to eat what he has in front of him first."

Whatever else that was going to be said was completely over powered by a booming voice. "Kurt Jonathan Hummel. When I get my hands on you!"

Kurt's eyes became round and he dropped his throw. He ran behind Noah to hide. He hadn't called Mercedes. Really, he hadn't been thinking clearly but still.

Noah waited until Mercedes was in the kitchen before sidestepping and revealing the pale brunette. Noah laughed at the glare that Kurt gave him.

Kurt opened his mouth to apologize when he was pulled into a hug so strong it rivaled his dad's. "Oh my God, I just saw the car and you didn't call me. How didn't you call me? I mean I would have been here right away. Are you hurt? I had to hear the news from Rachel. From Rachel?"

Noah intervened. "Cool it, Aretha. Kurt didn't call anyone. The only reason any of us knew what happened is Kurt was on the phone with me when he found his car."

Mercedes let go of Kurt and fixed her glare on Noah, who wisely started to back away. "And you didn't call me? You called your friends instead. Didn't you think that Kurt would..."

Berry interrupted her because he was a dumb, brave and guilt laden. "Actually Noah called me because dad's a cop. And I wasn't supposed to say anything. I mean Puck told me that Hummel didn't want anyone to know..." The rest of Berry's statement was cut off as Josh's hand covered his mouth for his own protection.

Josh turned to Mercedes. "All in all, it's because Berry here has a big mouth."

Kurt moved to Mercedes' side and gave his friend a hug. "I didn't want anyone to find out but I would have told you sooner or later. You're my best friend."

Mercedes returned the hug. "And don't let these muscles heads make you forget it."

Kurt shook his head. "Never."

Kurt heard the rolling of wheels on his hard wood floor and pivoted to see Artie and Tina coming into the room. He smiled at them but still kept a hold of Mercedes. Their smiles didn't reach their eyes as the worry was clear on their faces but he knew that his closest friends were here where he needed them.

A few seconds later behind them, Finn and a few of the other football players arrived with food to add to the pile. Finn tried to smile reassuringly at Kurt but he failed by miles. Kurt was just happy that Finn showed up given the rant he had given the boy yesterday. Kurt let go of Mercedes and moved to say hello to his new visitors. Noah seemed to be shadowing him much to his amusement.

See as his kitchen was filled to the brim, Kurt suggested they go down to his room. A suggestion that was vetoed by his dad, who told Mercedes to usher Kurt's well wishers into the living room and to put something on the TV. Kurt tried to argue but Noah shook his head sharply. Noah leaned over to the teen, "Your dad hasn't left your side for more than five minutes since he got here. Even when Officer Willis and he were looking at the car, he came back to the house to check on you every few minutes."

Kurt felt a knot in his throat. He walked over to his dad and gave him a hug. "I love you, dad."

Burt wrapped his arms around his son saying, "Me too kid. Me, too."


	15. Chapter 15

It was a good thing that Burt stopped the teens from going down to Kurt's basement because there was a steady stream all day and going up and down the stairs to greet them would have gotten old fast. Noah finally got in annoyed about the doorbell going off and sent a text to all of the remaining glee members and football players (excluding Karofsky of course) to just come right in. He even dubbed the party 'Berry Has a Big Mouth.'

The football players continued come to show their support with food, much to the amusement of the glee members who had not really seen Kurt eat to his fullest potential. Though, today was far beyond even the football player's imaginations of Kurt's eating capabilities. Kurt had quickly finished the breakfast Noah had made him and started to devour the pile of food on the table, which he had thanked the football players for and claimed as his. Kurt was an eater on his best days and on his worst...well being the stress eater that he was, he could probably put away enough food to feed a small village in Africa in a few hours.

Michaels had shown up with more McDonalds. Powell apparently went to Wendy's. A few of the juniors showed up with HOHOs and Snowballs from the lunch food line. One kid even brought over what seemed to be a birthday cake. He said it was his sister's but she was a brat so it was okay. Kurt smiled at the weird stolen confection and felt touched by the theft that had happened in his name. (Actually, his mom worked at the local Jewel's bakery and gave him a discount on a cake that had been made but cancelled the last minute. That story wasn't as badass as the one he told Kurt.) Azimio came in a halfway through the day with a bag of food. He wouldn't even put it on the table until Kurt saw it.

Azimio opened the boxes to show Kurt piping hot food from his mother's restaurant. "I asked my mom to make what you seemed to grab the most of last night."

Kurt started to tear up. Last week, this was the guy who threw him into the dumpster and today, he went and got his mom to cook Kurt's favorites. Kurt grabbed Azimio in a hug with tears trickling down his face. Behind him, he heard Noah laugh.

"Okay, princess. Let go of Azimio. He looks like his head is going to explode." Noah grabbed Kurt from the linebacker, who hadn't even really hugged back as he was in too much shock by the sudden affection. Noah let Kurt barrow into his chest since he had taken Kurt away from his victim.

Kurt looked over to Azimio, who didn't seem to know which way was up anymore. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little more off than normal today. Thank you and your mom for the food."

Azimio shrugged. "It's no big."

Kurt tried to smile but he was still a little flustered by the mini-breakdown he had just had. "The rest of the guys are in the living room."

Azimio left, leaving Kurt and Noah in the kitchen alone. Kurt turned back to the taller man and smiled. "Thank you, Noah. I don't know what I would have done without you here."

Noah gently let go of Kurt and looked a little flustered by the comment. "It's no big deal, princess. It's what us knights in shining armor do. It would, however, be nice if I didn't have to save the day quite so often. Maybe we can schedule the next save the princess day well into next month. I need some time to recover." Noah smiled, showing Kurt that he was just teasing.

Kurt cracked a smile. "I'll see what I can do." Kurt grabbed the bag of food that Azimio brought and started to walk into the living room to join the rest of the gang. His dad had gone in a few minutes before to make some room for Kurt and him to sit so there was an opening between his dad and Mercedes on the couch. Kurt smiled and started weaving through the mess of bodies on the floor to get to his spot. Noah seemed to be following him but there wasn't any more room on the couch. After Kurt sat down Indian style on the couch, Noah pushed the football players who were right in front of the couch away, making a spot for himself. There was plenty of room in other places but it seemed like he wanted to stretch out a little but still be near Kurt. Noah sat down and leaned against the bottom of the sofa folding his arms and lightly kicking Finn, who was unlucky enough to have sat in front of Noah. After a few minutes of allowing Noah to get away with tapping in the back with his foot, Finn turned with mischief in his eyes and jumped onto Noah. That started a wrestling match that the football players were very entertained to see. It was clear that there was less bad blood on both sides of this fight. The moves weren't to hurt the other person as they would have the week before. No, this just looked like two old buddies messing around. Noah finally pinned Finn and didn't let the boy get up.

"Say it. Say it." Noah started chanting.

Finn laughed and shook his head. "Never."

Noah leaned more of his body down on Finn. "Say it or I'll start tell people about..."

Finn started speeding through a little saying that he had probably said a hundreds of time. "Puck is the greatest there ever is or was. No one is as big or as manly as he is and all the girls like think he's awesome. Now, get your hairy butt off of me."

Noah laughed and rolled off of Finn. He stood up and walked back to his spot and sat down. The rest of the room was laughing at the pair's antics. Most of them were very relieved that the tension between the two best friends was finally disappearing.

Kurt smiled fondly at the pair of them. It seemed like the two of them were going to be okay and he was glad he had been a part in that. Though it didn't seem like it was just yesterday that it had all gone down. No glee felt like it was years ago. Kurt moved closer to his dad. Though he thought he was being very subtle about the need for reassurance, his dad moved his arm so it was laying on the back of the couch. It allowed Kurt to know that his dad was there without appearing clingy.

Mercedes and the guys had come to a compromise as far as movies go by putting on Wall-E. It was light hearted and funny but had a romantic side. The boys had initially wanted to watch something where stuff blew up but when Kurt paled, they decided that maybe action flicks were not going to happen that night.

A little while later, Santana, Brittney, and Quinn came in followed by Mike and Matt. When the crowd saw Santana, there were applause and cheers. The cheerleader smiled and bowed, giving off an air about her that said she knew she rocked.

While clapping for Santana, Kurt's eyes were drawn to Finn, who seemed to have straightened up and looked shyly at Quinn. Maybe Noah was right about the power couple getting back together. It, however, looked as if that there was no plan needed. Especially since Quinn was returning Finn's look with one of her own. Kurt nudged Noah as he clapped and pointed to the evidence of a to-be reconciliation. Noah looked and grinned widely.

Quinn walked over and sat gingerly next to Finn, who grabbed her trying to make her descent more comfortable. Mercedes had started to get up when she noticed Quinn was going to sit on the floor but Kurt quickly stopped her. Mercedes gave him a questioning look but he gestured to Finn. Mercedes looked at the quarterback and the interaction between the two and giggled.

Santana sat down and pulled Brittney into her lab. The blonde teen was soon wrapped up in the movie and bounced in Santana's lap. It was clear to Kurt that as much as Santana had hit Karofsky for him but she hit him for herself and for all the people who got bullied just because they love someone that they weren't supposed to. Kurt smiled at her and Santana nodded back then pulled Brittney closer to her.

In the next few hours, the rest of the football team that had been invited and Rachel showed up. They group had started their third movie and Burt had ordered pizza for the group since no one wanted to take any of the food given to Kurt. Not that they stood much chance of that. Kurt had finished most of the food by the time the third movie had started. The only thing that was left was the pastries and Kurt was almost thinking about sharing. With all the support he was getting from these wonderful people, how could he not be touched...but did they really deserve to touch his sweet confections was the true question.

Part way through the third movie, Noah's phone went off and he answered it. The look on his face went from happy to resigned. He nodded as the phone call ended and got up. "Well, I'm off to make some moneys so I can get some honeys."

Most of the room just shouted their goodbyes as Noah left and quickly went back to watching the TV. They had put on Fracture and everyone was getting into the movie. Kurt, however, could care less about the movie in light of Noah leaving. He shuffled after Noah as the mohawk sporting boy went to the door.

Noah turned to smiled at Kurt when he saw that he was being followed. "I have to go to Barb's for a few hours. I promised Angie that I would cover for her tonight and I was going to tell Barb that I couldn't make it but one of the dishwashers got sick and one of Sally's kids is in a play or something so she can't make it so..."

Kurt nodded. Noah to the rescue. "Are you coming back?"

Noah frowned. "It might be really late before I get done tonight."

"Can't you try?" Kurt said pouting slightly in a way he learned could get his dad to bend all the rules.

Noah laughed. "I'll send a text and see if you are still up."

Kurt nodded. He didn't think that he would be getting much sleep that night so didn't have to worry about missing that text.

Noah patted Kurt's head as he left the house. "Now be good, princess."

Kurt nodded as he watched Noah go to his truck. That boy had changed his life a little over a week ago and he didn't think that he would ever want to go back. Even with how bad today was. Something like this probably would have happened in a town this small and closed minded someday but now...he had friends who were standing behind him. Friends who pushed around the bullies and who brought him food when he needed them to. Friends that Noah had given him.

"He's a good kid."

Kurt heard a voice from behind him and twisted his head to see his father coming to stand with him at the door. "Yeah, he is."

The two stood there watching Noah drive away and looked at their street with lined cars on both sides. Kurt glanced back at his dad before moving forward onto the yard and down to the street. He looked at where his car had been earlier that day. The Navigator was gone and all that was left was the egg shells and some of the rocks. Kurt shivered and not from the cold. How could anyone have done what they had done to him? He hadn't done anything to anyone. Especially, anything that would deserve that. He shook his head and moved back to his house. His dad was on the phone with someone and did not look happy at all.

When he reached the door, his dad was still on the phone and motioned him in. Kurt went past his dad and back into the living room. He sat back down on the sofa and smiled softly at Mercedes. She must have noticed that his smile wasn't his normal smile and placed her hand on his hand. Kurt smiled and laced his fingers with Mercedes then turned to watch the movie.

A few minutes later, Burt came in the door looking slightly defeated and sat next to Kurt. Kurt bent towards his father. "What's wrong?"

For a second, Burt didn't say anything. He then sighed deeply before speaking softly. "It wasn't David Karofsky. He had an alibi. He was at home with mother."

Kurt repeated the words again. "It wasn't Karofsky? It wasn't Karofsky?"

Everyone turned to see Kurt freaking out. Burt grabbed the boy and pulled him to him. It didn't quiet Kurt down. He started to scream louder and louder and hit his dad frantically as if by this act the monster that had done the evil deed would have been caught. The idea that it was not Karofsky was too horrible to even think of. It meant that there was a nameless faceless person out there, who could be anyone or anywhere, waiting to hurt him.

Burt finally got a good hold of Kurt and pulled him so tight to him that Kurt couldn't strike out. He pulled the screaming boy so he was sitting on his lap with Kurt's ear close to his lips. "Shh. Calm down. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. You're fine. No one is going to hurt you."

Kurt finally started to calmed down enough to breath normally. Unlike this morning, Kurt was frightened beyond measure. When he had thought that it was Karofsky, he could understand the teen's hatred turning into the act of violence on his baby but now that the other teen was cleared... The possibility of anyone came to mind. Anyone...Anyone...

Josh spoke up. "Hummel, just because it's not Karofsky doesn't mean that they won't get the guy who did it."

Berry put in his two cents. "My dad is working on it and he won't stop until he gets the guy. Either way, it wasn't like we weren't going to making sure you were protected. We did it at school and now we'll just expand."

The room erupted in support for Berry's plan. Kurt looked around the room and shook his head. It was amazing. "Thanks guys."

Jason shook his head. "You're our little man, Hummel. We can't let anyone hurt you. It just wouldn't be right."

"Wait, little man?" Berry said and turned to Josh. "I thought we decided on little kicker."

Someone else said, "I heard it was pint size."

"No way. It was glorious George like from Italian job." Micheals said.

"Well, I'm calling him kid." Azimio announced. "That or shiny."

Kurt looked at the football players. "And what is wrong with Kurt?"

Berry piped in. "Nothing is wrong with it but you let Puck call you princess and he won't let us call you that so we have to come up with something."

Kurt shook his head. "Of course, it's Noah's fault."

Jason nodded. "It's even in the play book. If it goes to shit, blame Puck."

Burt yelled. "Language."

The group laughed as Jason did apologize and realized why most people did not mess with Burt Hummel. Kurt moved off of his dad's lap but refused to move more than a few inches away from the elder Hummel. It didn't seem to bother Burt, who seemed to periodically reach out a hand to reassure himself that his son was still there. The room never lost the underlaying tension after that. The threat was so much bigger than before and everyone knew that. Until this guy was caught, no one was going to be happy. At least, no one in this room.

A few hours later, Kurt got up to pee and wandered down to his bathroom. After he was finished, he walked over to the sink and looked at himself. He looked about as good as he felt. He had reach the point on his mascara where no amount of waterproofing would help so he had streaks down his face. His eyes were puffy and red where as his face was flushed. His cheeks looked like the youthful baby fat had been ripped off and all the remained were the harsh bones. He looked horrible and for once he didn't care. He reached for his makeup remover and took off anything that had remained after such a long day off, realizing that the people upstairs didn't care if he wasn't perfect. They didn't care if he came out in full hooker makeup or in a face mask, though the boys would look at him weird for either one of those. They also didn't care if he just came up as he was without the layers of makeup he used to make himself perfect.

After he took off his makeup, he switched into his oversized t-shirt and flannel pants and went to the kitchen. He picked up the throw he had left on the back of a chair and pulled it around him then walked to the living room. The room was full to the brim with people who would stand up and fight for him. It was the only silver lining about the whole situation, knowing that people actually cared about his well being. It was amazing.

He moved back to his spot and watched as the guys debated over what to do watch next. Hesmiled at his dad, who seemed to understand his son's happiness despite what happened. The Hummels just sat back and watched as Kurt's friend duked it out for the TV rights, being happy that the sounds of the good natured fight could help them forget about the horrors of the day. It turned in favor of Finn's group, who choose to watch the old 'Family Guy' episodes much to the annoyance of some of the glee members.

About ten minutes in, Azimio stood up and stated that he had to go help in his mom's kitchen or he would be in trouble later. The group said goodbye much like they did when Noah left but this time Azimio gestured Kurt to follow him. After they got to the hallway, Azimio turned to speak to Kurt.

"You have your phone?" Azimio asked.

Kurt nodded and handed over to Azimio. The linebacker quickly added his number to the contact list and called his own phone.

"Now listen. You are a little thing so if you need anyone to take you anywhere, I better get a call." Azimio said. "I saw what happened to your car and I know this sounds messed up but I know Dave didn't do it. That makes it worse 'cus I can deal with Dave. I can't deal with who did this. I'm going to talk to Berry's dad tomorrow."

Kurt hesitated before asking. "Do you know who did it?"

Azimio shook his head. "For sure? No but I have an idea and it's not a good one. Just stay in with people as much as possible until the cops figure this out. Stay safe, kid."

Kurt started to freak out once again as he watch Azimio disappear up the sidewalk. Who could be so scary that a guy Azimio's size was worried? Was he really dealing with someone who can be considered a monster? Before he could get much worse, his phone rang.

He looked down as the cell that was still in his hand and saw Noah on the ID. He quickly picked up. "Hello."

"Hey, princess. Barb heard, and not from me, what happened and she kicked me out so I'll be back in a little bit. Wait, why don't I hear the TV? Where are you?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. Noah's mothering tendencies were quite impressive but ridiculous if he was yelling about not hearing a TV in the background. "I was just saying goodbye to Azimio."

"Well then shut the door and go back the living room. I'm not hanging up until I hear the TV." Noah said.

Kurt laughed. "That's not a threat since I don't mind staying on the phone with you."

Noah said. "You will when I go into the bathroom to take a dump with you still on the line with me."

Kurt's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

Noah laughed evilly. "Have you met me? Of course, I would."

Kurt power walked to the living room. "There, hear the TV and people? Everyone say hi to Noah."

There were a chorus of hi's before Kurt started talking to Noah again. "There you go. Get back here soon. Bye." Mercedes looked at him oddly as he sat back down next to her.

Kurt huffed as he sat. "He threaten to take me into the bathroom with him if I didn't prove I was in the living room."

Brittney responded. "Well, you could've hung up. That's what I do when Santa..." Santana clapped her hand over Brittney's mouth, much to the sadness of many of the football players.

Kurt's eyes widened. Brit was right. He could have just hung up. He looked back at his phone. It didn't matter since Noah was coming back either way.


	16. Chapter 16

When Noah got back to the house, most of the group had started to leave. Berry and Jason left after talking to Noah. They probably talked about what had happened considering the unhappy look that Noah had. Josh had discover Kurt's awesome gaming system in his room and refused to leave until he had played with it for a while, which probably translated to most of the night. Finn looked like he had brought a change of cloths with him so he was probably going to stay the night. Mercedes, Tina and Artie said that they were too tired to go home so they would also be crashing at Kurt's house. A few of the other football players asked if they could stay to watch more TV which neither Kurt or Burt really minded.

Kurt was putting out blankets for people to use later in the night as he started to say goodbye and thanks to those who were leaving. Mike and Matt were both staying to watch TV but the girls had decided to call it a night. Finn had decided escort Quinn to her car claiming that the pregnant girl looked tired as Kurt silently laughed. Santana and Brittney walked with Kurt to the door seemingly as amused by the sight as he was. Kurt turned to Santana and risked giving the prickly girl a hug. Kurt was happy when he got a few pats on the back and then pushed back. "Thank you Santana for punching Karofsky."

Santana shrugged. "Yeah, the guy was asking for a while. I doesn't even matter that it wasn't him. He's the type of guy who would have loved what happened. He's probably in the verge of tears right now 'cus he didn't get to do it himself."

Kurt nodded. It was sad but probably true.

Brittney grabbed Kurt in a quick hug and started to skip away.

Santana smiled fondly at the blonde Cheerio. "I don't understand why it's anybody business who we love. So what if you think guys are hot and girls do nothing for you. So what if me and Brittney would rather spend the night with each other and not someone with a dick? It's not their business." She looked at Kurt. "You look after yourself or let one of the guys do it for you, got it?"

Kurt nodded and smiled at Santana. For a girl that was this side of crazy, it was really nice to know she cared. Kurt watched as Santana motioned for Quinn and Brittney to get into the car and drove away. Finn watched the car leave with a sad look on his face.

Kurt turned to see Rachel right behind him with the same longing on her face the Finn had. "They are meant to be, aren't they?"

Kurt knew this wasn't an easy admission for the girl but he also knew that the Finn that she had in her head wasn't the same Finn that she would get if they were dating. She had the same Finn that Kurt had in his head weeks ago, all perfect and flawless. The difference between Quinn and them was the fact that she knew the not-so-perfect Finn and still wanted him. "Yeah, sweetie, I think they are."

Rachel's composure fell for a bit before she was able to get her control back. Kurt could see the pain in her eyes in those few seconds and knowing Rachel, she wouldn't ask anyone for help in making it stop.

Kurt put a hand on her arm as he spoke. "Rachel, he's one guy. Yes, he is the quarterback of the team but that doesn't make him the only or the best guy in the school. It just makes him the cliche love of most of the school. Somewhere, whether at this school or wherever you end up, there will be a guy who might not seem like a diamond to begin with but will make you feel like a million bucks. That's the guy you need Rachel. A guy who will put up with all the high maintenance craziness that makes you you with a smile."

Rachel looked at Kurt hopeful. "You think so."

Kurt smiled at the vulnerable girl. "I know so. You are Rachel Berry. You should know so too."

Rachel nodded and smiled softly. "Thank you, Kurt. I know we don't always get along but thank you."

Kurt wrapped Rachel in his arms. "And thank you for coming here today. It meant a lot to know you all care."

Rachel nodded. "Of course, we care. You're part of glee. Without you, we can't make sectionals next year." But the teasing look in her eyes told Kurt that for all their diva blow ups, Rachel did care about him at the end of the day. She waved goodbye and started towards her car.

When he turned around this time, it was Noah who was right behind him with a very troubled look on his face. "What's wrong?"

Noah came up to Kurt and stood a lot closer than necessary to the teen. "I just heard that it wasn't Karofsky."

Kurt nodded. Yes, that really wasn't the best news in the world to heard so the unhappy face was understandable. "I know."

Noah folded his arms causing them to brush up against Kurt. "So here's the deal. You are going to call either me, Finn, Berry, Josh or Jason if you want to go anywhere. You aren't going to go on little trips anywhere without one of us with you. If none of us can make it, you can call any of the other guys and they will be on call to pick you up."

Kurt looked at the Noah with horror. He wasn't going to be allowed out of the house if the guys had any say about it. "What about glee or football or even defense classes?"

Noah nodded. "I'm going to be your ride most of the time until the cops figure out who did this. Anyway, you need a ride to and from school."

Kurt flushed at the causal remark about his baby getting totaled. "You have no right to lock me up like this."

Noah raised an eyebrow and continued. "Do you know how upset we all are at what happened this morning? Most of us were here last night. Maybe if we had just stayed a little longer, the guy would have been caught while we were leaving. Maybe if we had just timed it right, we could have stopped it from happening in the first place. Princess, what happened to your car isn't some little temper tantrum from an upset love interest. That was pure hatred from someone and we have no clue who it is. The boys and I decided earlier this week that we won't let anything happened to you and somehow your life went from bruises up and down your side to someone taking a hammer to your car. Let us take care of you at least so we don't feel like such shits."

Kurt paused for a second before answering. "There isn't anything you guys could have done. It isn't your fault."

Noah snorted and unfolded his arms and started to pace in front of the doorway. "Well, guilt doesn't really work well with rationalization."

Kurt's eyes widened slight. "That's a big word."

Noah stopped pacing. "Yeah and I know what it means too. So will you let us take care of you?"

Kurt sighed and nodded. "I don't have a ride to school anyway."

Noah's frame relaxed under the hesitant yes. "Good because I already told your dad and he liked what he heard."

Kurt shook his head. "My dad wants to homeschool me so the idea of me having guard dogs must tickle him pink."

Noah threw an arm over Kurt's shoulder and lead him to the kitchen. "Well, you were the one who was trying to train us. You can only blame yourself since it worked so well. By the way, Barb sent some of her chicken strips with honey mustard sauce with me."

Kurt's eyes immediately went to what he had dubbed the table of wonder where he saw a bag marked Barb's on the outside. He shrugged off Noah's shoulder and opened the boxes he had found in the bag. He had been chewing on his first of many chicken strips when a thought came to his head. "Is part of your plan to plant football players in my house?"

Noah shrugged. "My plan? No, that was more of the guys who came up with that. There probably won't be as many after today but a few wanted to stay around incase anything happened. They are all a little on edge. Though I know that Berry and Josan are going to be stopping by tomorrow, so they might accidently crash here then. Plus your place kind of rocks, princess. It'll probably become the crashing place of choice from now on."

Kurt shook his head. Well, at least now when the football players visited his house, his dad wouldn't have to get the furniture off the roof.

The rest of the night was pretty quite. The people went from the TV in the living room to the gaming system in the basement depending on how bored they were in either room. It was decided that Kurt and the girls would be staying the basement while the guys figured out someway to get situated in the living room.

As Kurt laid down in bed, he heard Mercedes call out to him. "Hey boo, how are you really doing?"

Kurt looked at Tina who was sound asleep and back at Mercedes. "Honestly, I feel like I'm going to break apart any second. On one hand, I have all these people who are being so nice to me and not even caring when I completely loose it but on the other hand I feel like I've lost control of my life. And I don't know why this is happening. I don't understand why anyone would do this to a sixteen year old who already has enough problems to begin with. I feel scared, hurt, sad and confused all at the same time. Nothing makes any sense."

Mercedes went and laid down next to Kurt on his bed. "It's a horrible, disgusting, evil thing that happened Kurt. Something that foul, no normal person would understand. But think about how loved you are and how all of those men up there are willing to make sure you are safe."

Kurt was silent for a bit before saying. "Noah is going to be my ride until things cool down."

Mercedes smiled. "Mohawk and your dad have been especially papa bearish, today. Can't really blame them."

Kurt nodded in agreement. "Yeah but I don't understand why I let Noah in so quick."

Mercedes sighed. "You saw his good side. He is a good person when he wants to be but for some odd reason he doesn't let it show to most people. He'll take credit for the pranks around the school but never the little things that make life easier for others. I saw that side for a few seconds while we were dating but it didn't last long enough for me to stay with him. He seems to have a soft spot for you, boo."

Kurt shrugged. "Maybe he does."

Mercedes wrapped herself around Kurt and started to in settle for the night. "Go to sleep. Things will be better in the morning."

Kurt would have responded but he was already drifting off with the odd thought that the boy who called himself Puck had a soft spot for a boy named Kurt.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

The Hummel residence was a zoo for the whole weekend. There were people coming and going at all times of the day. Just as Noah had predicted Berry and Jason had stopped by late the next night and need to crash at their house. It was almost a relief on Monday morning when Noah came to pick him up for the school day. Between his dad not leaving his side for more than a few minutes and the invasion of the boys into the house, Kurt wanted to get back to normalcy soon. He understood that the hovering showed that they cared but it made him even more crazy than he would have otherwise been. Though Noah did seem to be more mother hen than before, at least he actually left the house when he had other responsibilities. His dad had cancelled everything that did not involve being at the house when Kurt was at home for the foreseeable future and was working normal hours. For a man that lived at his garage most days, it was a massive change. The main problem was that he didn't have a chance to de-stress with everyone near him. The crowd just kept reminding him that he was a victim of a horrible crime. He just wanted to be a normal teenage boy just for a little while. One that was freaking out about whether a guy liked him or whether his shoes went with his hat... Okay, maybe that wasn't a normal teenage boy but it was normal for him. He just wanted to forget for a little bit.

So it was understandable that he ran out of the house as soon as he saw Noah in the drive way. He had the manners to yell back in the house that Noah was there but that is all. He dashed into the truck before Noah even had the chance to unbuckle his seatbelt. As he buckled his belt, he looked at Noah expectedly. After a few seconds, Noah laughed and started to back out. "Apparently, you're listening to the rules about being out of the house to the letter, huh?"

Kurt let his head fall back against the headrest. "They are driving me crazy in there. I mean I'm used to having the house to myself or at least my room to myself. They were everywhere. When I went to the sleep, when I woke up, when I went to eat..."

Noah smiled and continued. "When you went to jerk off, when you went to shit..."

Kurt laughed and hit Noah. "You're disgusting."

Noah laughed. "I'm glad you recognize my genius."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes, you truly are gifted in the crude arts."

Noah nodded. "Thank you."

The rest of the drive was filled with jokes back and forth lifting Kurt's sour disposition. When they got to the school, Azimio was waiting for them by the parking lot. As they parked, Azimio walked over to Kurt's side and opened the door for the smaller boy. Kurt smiled at the linebacker and got out of the car. Azimio smiled faintly back and called out to Noah. "Hey, I'll take the kid to class."

Noah lifted an eyebrow. Apparently, Azimio was not in Noah's good graces yet. "That okay with you, princess?"

Kurt nodded. He hadn't spent much time with the linebacker but Azimio seemed to have warmed up to him. It would give him a chance to hang out with large man without Noah glares keeping Azimio from being at ease with him. He understood that Azimio was about three times his size but he had started to treat Kurt like a little brother type person. It was kind of sweet.

Azimio nodded his thanks and escorted Kurt to his locker. The singer was happy about the quiet between him and the linebacker. He knew that Azimio was pretty vicious when he was hounding Kurt earlier this year but it seemed without Karofsky, he was almost a gentle giant.

"Hey kid, I need to pee." Azimio said as he started to walk away expecting Kurt to follow him which Kurt did.

They went to the closest bathroom to his locker. Azimio stopped Kurt before going in. "You trust me, right kid?"

The truth was Kurt wasn't completely trusting of Azimio but he had tried to win Kurt's faith so Kurt nodded.

"Okay, just trust me that I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Azimio said as he opened the bathroom door and push Kurt through. Azimio then came through and lean on the door to close it.

Kurt looked around the room freaking out, thinking that his trust in the linebacker was premature. His fears were compounded when he saw his worst nightmare in the corner. He turned back to Azimio flushed with anger. "You traitor, I trusted you."

Azimio frowned. "I know and I swear nothing is going to happen to you." Azimio straightened up and glared at Karofsky. "Tell him Dave."

Karofsky seemed unnaturally unsure. "I swear that I'm not going to hurt a hair on your head Hummel. Azimio and Puck would kill me."

Kurt laughed uneasily. "Puck doesn't know where I am."

Azimio spoke. "You still have your phone. If you are worried, just call him."

Kurt paled. "Does he know about this?"

Karofsky snorted. "I'm not dead, am I? Your little guard dog would have killed me if I tried to talk to you."

Kurt felt trapped. Sure, he could call Noah but by the time the other boy got there it could be too late.

Azimio sighed. "Look, kid. Dave wants to talk to you. That's all."

Kurt moved closer to the sinks so he could see both of the other occupants of the room. "Fine, you have five minutes before I call Puck."

Azimio nodded and started to leave the room causing Kurt to panic. "You're leaving?"

Azimio nodded. "I'll be right outside the door. If it is too quiet or too loud, I'll rush in. Also the lock is on the inside so I can't lock you in. Don't worry, kid. You'll be fine."

Azimio moved quickly for his size and was out the door before Kurt could counter his argument.

Kurt turned back and looked at Karofsky. The boy out weighed Kurt by at least twice over if not more. He was a few inches taller and quite a bit meaner. He took a deep breath and finally ask. "Why did you do it?"

Karofsky sighed. "I didn't do anything to your car if that's what your asking about. The last time I saw it was Thursday at school. The cops even cleared my name."

Kurt folded his arms over his chest and leaned against one of the sinks. "Yeah. You were with your mom. How did you get her to lie?"

Some of the familiar anger slipped onto Karofsky's face. "She didn't lie. I was with her all night."

Kurt snorted momentary forgetting it was not wise to poke an anger bear with a stick.

Karofsky stepped towards Kurt his eyes ablaze. "You have no idea how easy you have it Hummel. Your dad comes marching up to the school because you get bullied. He supports you even in this small hick town. Most people don't get that support for being gay. Most of us have to stay in the closet and wait to come out when they are far far away from the people who would kill them if they knew what a freak they were."

Kurt's jaw dropped. "You can't be gay. You threw me into the dumpster for being a fag."

Karofsky snorted. "Well, my dad would have killed me if I let someone like you getting away with being gay and proud. He nearly did the other night. That's how I can prove I was with my mom. We were waiting to see the doctor about my brother who my dad beat the shit out of for standing up for me after I failed to keep you inline."

"What?" Kurt gasped.

Karofsky started pacing. "My dad started believing during one of his little episodes that gays, blacks, hispanics, jews and anyone else that wasn't basically him needed to be kept inline or otherwise..." Karofsky laughed humorlessly. "You know I don't know what would happen. He just keeps harping on and on about how everything that was wrong in his life was someone else's fault. So when I came home all dirty from the dumpster, my old man got on my case about what happened. I finally broke down after him needling me and told him what had happened. He had already been drinkin' since probably dawn and continued to drink since he lost his job so he was in one of his not so rare horrible moods made worse by the son who couldn't keep the fag in line." Karofsky sighed. "Lucky for me, my brother was home from community college in time to stop him from beating me too bad. Unlucky for my brother, my dad was so pissed that he had to stop kicking me the chest that he started to pound on my brother. My mom seemed to understand in her drunken stupor that something wasn't right and called the cops. When my dad heard that the cops were on their way, he split. By the time the paramedics came, I thought I had lost my brother. He's at Mercy right now. In the ICU. He's in a coma and they don't know when he's coming out of it."

Kurt shook his head. "No, you're lying."

Karofsky laughed that dark laugh again and pulled out his phone. "I wish I was. Here. That's the direct line to the ICU. Ask them yourself."

Kurt slowly walked forward and grabbed the phone from Karofsky's outstretched hand. As he moved back to his sink, he saw that the ID did say Mercy ICU. He pressed call and waited. Three rings later a feminine voice came on the line. "Mercy ICU. Nancy speaking."

"Um, I'm looking for..." Kurt paused.

Karofsky said. "Pat."

Kurt continued. "...Pat Karofsky."

"Are you family?" The women on the line said.

Kurt squeaked. "Yes?"

The feminine voice went a little hard. "Yes?"

Kurt replied. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried."

The voice seemed more sympathetic. "Well, he is young so he might be completely fine after he wakes up. The doctor is expecting him to wake up in the next few days after the swelling goes down."

Kurt paled. None of this sounded hopeful. He looked at Karofsky, who was leaning against a wall looking like he was a million miles away. "Thank you."

The women said something that Kurt didn't play attention to and hung up.

Kurt walked over to the enormous jock and gave him his cell back. "I'm sorry."

Karofsky took a few second to come out of the daze and reached for his phone. "The sad part is I remember when my dad was just like every other dad. Right after he came back from the war, my dad was normal. Slowly, he changed. Now, I know it was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder but then it was scary to see my dad become more and more on edge. That's when he started to drink. He had never really touched the stuff before because no one on his side of the family was a good drunk. They were always the anger 'beat on your family' type but he started to drink to sleep then to quiet the noises then he just kept finding excuse to drink and he got madder and madder at everyone. Maybe even the world."

Karofsky looked at Kurt. "You want to know how I knew he hated gays. My brother made a comment years ago about how 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' was horrible since they were part of the army too and it wasn't the government's business what people did on their own time. My dad broke his arm that day. My brother knew I was gay and he was just trying to show his support and my fucking dad broke his arm." A tear ran down Karofsky's cheek before he brushed it away.

There was silence in the room until Kurt broke it. "So you're gay?"

Karofsky laughed. "At least, my boyfriend thinks so."

Kurt's eyes widened. "Boyfriend?" How did Karofsky who was so far in the closet he couldn't see the crack under the door have a boyfriend before him?

Karofsky smiled fondly. "Yeah, it's still new. I meet him at a LGBT meeting I went to once and we clicked. He knows how it is for me for at home but he is getting at me to stop being a bully. He was bullied at his old school so he had to transfer. He goes to Dalton, now. Honestly, I think he was a little happy when he heard that the team was standing up to me about the bullying. I think he wishes that he could have done the same thing to the guys that bothered him at his old school."

Kurt got annoyed. "Then why did you throw me into the dumpster so hard that my left is still sore?"

Karofsky looked guilty. "I didn't think we threw you in that hard. It was just supposed to look bad. I thought that there was cardboard against the side so it wouldn't have been that bad. Though after three days of dumpster diving, I have to say you're pretty tough."

Kurt was caught between preening and yelling more. "I can't just forgive you."

Karofsky looked annoyed. "You did with Azimio."

Kurt folded his arms over his chest. "He actually was sorry."

Karofsky growled. "I am sorry, dammit, but I couldn't do anything before. Now, my dad's not coming home since the cops are looking for him because of what happened to my brother so I don't have to be as fucking scared of him."

Kurt looked at the other teen sharply. "Fine. You are on probation. I'll talk to Noah about keeping you out of the dumpsters but if you slide, I'll make sure you get put in during every passing period."

Karofsky laughed. "You're on. I'm going to be so fucking good you won't even recognize me."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'm sure." Kurt went and opened the door revealing a very nervous looking Azimio. "I'm fine but don't cross me. If I tell Noah what just happened, he might start tossing you into the dumpster now that I'm getting Karofsky out."

Karofsky was right behind him. "You could call me Dave."

Kurt shook his head. "No, I don't think I will. First names means trust and I don't trust you."

Karofsky was just about to reply when the trio say Noah flying around the corner then narrowing on the three of them. Kurt moved behind Azimio figuring that the large black man owed him. Noah came up to them and took a few extra steps towards Karofsky before Kurt stopped him. Noah looked at him. "What?"

Okay, so he was glad that Karofsky was the one Noah was mad at because if he was that mad at Kurt, he would have just run. "He apologized."

Noah looked confused. "He did what?"

Kurt repeated and moved closer to Noah. "He apologized and he also proved that he wasn't the one who destroyed my baby."

There was a beat before Noah asked. "And?"

Kurt looked at Karofsky. "And I can't tell you but I'm sure he didn't do it."

Noah looked at Kurt oddly and grabbed the teen by the arm and dragged him away from the linebackers. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Kurt nodded and smiled. "He's still on probation and he's not invited to my house but no more dumpster dives."

Noah looked a little annoyed by the change in position. It seemed like he want to get his extra frustration out by pounding on Karofsky but finally relented to Kurt's wishes. "Fine for now but if he..."

Kurt nodded. "You'll be the first to hear and the first to punch. Speaking about punching, are we still on for defense classes? I got the waiver signed by my dad last night. He liked the idea of me being able to defend myself especially after what happened on Friday."

Noah nodded. "Yeah but I don't know about fight club tonight. I think Mac cancelled it for today."

Kurt frowned. "Why?"

Noah smiled. "Ask Mac when you get there."

Kurt turned and walked to his class. "Okay, I will."

When Kurt got to his classroom, he turned to Noah. "Thank you."

Noah frowned "For what?"

Kurt smiled. "For willing to be my knight even when I don't need one."

Noah smiled. "Anytime, princess. Anytime."

Kurt nodded and walked into class.


	17. Chapter 17

How the did someone like David Karofsky get a guy before he did? Really, he was out and proud but the jock who had been harassing him for years about being gay managed to get a guy first. It really wasn't fair as far as Kurt was concerned. Seriously he was fabulous, right? Gucci, he didn't need more drama right now. His head was already pounding from the stress of the weekend and now, Karofsky was gay. He just needed some normality in his life.

Normality wasn't in the schedule today though. As he walked down the hallway, Kurt could feel the other students stares. Yes, they did that from time to time before but Kurt was usually had done something to warrant the looks. Today, Kurt knew it was the gossip about his baby that had cause the commotion. It didn't help that the football players were even more aggressive than before about his protection detail. There was always a minimum of two people walking him anywhere. He had to use the girls bathroom to escape them and that only worked half of the time since Josh had decided he wanted to see what the big fuss about the girls' bathroom was. He was sorely disappointed that there was not make-out couch or glitter all over the place. It was just like the boys except no urinals.

Kurt thought that he was going to be guard free during football practice but someone (he assumes Noah) told the coach that they should have a secondary punter just incase something happened to him. The coach seemed to think it was a good idea and put Moser as his backup. The guy was just a little bigger than Kurt and couldn't kick worth a darn but Moser argued he just needed to practice to get better. Kurt rolled his eyes and put 'Single Ladies' on his Ipod and started to go through the stretches he used to loosen up with Moser.

The lucky part was the coach still let him go to the showers early so he at least got twenty minutes by himself there since he ran in a little early and locked the door. Hey, there was someone dangerous out there so he locked the door behind him. At least that's what he told the football players, who looked more than a bit furious at this actions. Kurt just laughed it off and waited in the locker room for Noah to get dressed so they could go. (As if the guys would have let him out of the room before someone could stalk him...guard him.) It was weird that even Karofsky seemed agitated by what he pulled. Then again that could have been since the rest of the team had taken extra care to make sure he was tackled more than anyone else that day. Apparently, Noah had forgotten to tell anyone that Karofsky was no longer at the top of the shit list.

As they were walking away from the locker room, Kurt continuously glared at Noah. It took a few minutes for the darker teen to notice Kurt was upset, which lead to Kurt becoming even madder. Finally when he did notice, all Noah said was, "What?"

Kurt threw open the door of Noah's truck and slammed it closed. "Could you guys be any more stalkerish? Josh actually followed me into the bathroom."

Noah backed out of his spot and started to drive away from the school. "To be fair, Josh has wanted to get into the girls' bathroom for a while. He has a weird fantasy that girls have a couch in there where they make-out."

Kurt nodded but continued to glare. "Yes, I heard a full ten minutes on why there should be a make-out couch. He even spaced his arguments between passing periods so I would be able to hear them all. It's not like I have any power over the make-out couch or lack there of."

Noah shrugged. "Maybe he hopes that you can start an underground movement for the couch."

Kurt folds his arms over his chest. "Yes, because that would really help me. Have girls make-out really gets me going. And we are way off topic here. Could you get the guys to mellow?"

Noah shrugged. "I could but either they will think you don't like them anymore or they will feel like crap for not protecting you before. Either way, there will be a lot of unhappy guys on your hands. Just give them a few days and they will calm down themselves."

Kurt sighed. It seemed like he had no choice but to let the boys loose their gung ho about their plan and let everything settle back to how it used to be. As they pulled into the warehouse's parking lot, Kurt slowly got out. He was worried about what Mac and Jesse would do now that they definitely knew that he was gay. He was really hopeful that he would still be allowed to practice here but at the same time thought with the military air surrounding Mac and realized it would be a long shot. Still, he had gotten his dad to sign the sheet just incase they were cool with him being there. He could just try to stay out of Mac's way if the elder man was that uncomfortable with him around.

Noah got to the door first and Kurt heard the sound of the punching bag getting beaten hard as the door opened. He took a deep breath as he stepped through and saw Jesse hold the heavy bag as Mac seemed to destroying it. The stockier man seemed relentless and angry. Every hit pushed Jesse a little backwards even though it looked like the tall blonde had most of his weight behind the bag. Mac even mixed it up every few hits by doing solid front kicks at the bag, which Kurt could see had much more power then his punches. All in all, Kurt did not want to be the one Mac was mad with.

Even Noah was a little shaken by the extreme violence that Mac was exhibiting. After a few minutes of watching, Noah called out, "Hey guys, we're here."

Mac hit the bag as if he had not heard for a few more punching before standing back and taking off his gloves. Jesse watched the older man with worry as Mac walked over to the two teens.

Mac focused all his attention on Kurt as he walked towards them. When he was a little over a foot away, he stopped and scrutinized Kurt. No one said a word until Mac finally spoke, "You okay?"

Kurt nodded as he edged closer to Noah. He didn't understand what was going on. The older man looked very concerned about him but Kurt didn't know where all of this worry was coming from. He hadn't been injured last time he was here and he knew his bruises were bad the first time Mac had seen them but they were a lot better now. It couldn't be because of what happened to his car since why would this ex-military guy be worried about the gay kid.

Mac nodded back. "It happens to all of us. No matter how tough we are or how nice, some asshole will decided that being gay is good enough cause to attack you. When I was really young, I was out with a friend and some guys started to pick a fight with us because of my preferences in the bedroom..." Mac stopped as he felt Jesse wrapped himself around Mac. Mac smiled fondly at Jesse as he continued. "I luckily got out of the fight with just some scratches and some broken ribs. My buddy... One of the assholes shattered his leg and he's had a limp ever since. Thankfully, someone saw the fight and called the cops or otherwise I wouldn't be here now."

Kurt's jaw dropped. First, Karofsky and now this. It didn't make any sense. Was his gaydar broken? Then again did he even have one if he couldn't figure out who was gay or not?

Noah looked at Kurt and snickered. "I knew there was no truth to gaydar being better in gay guys. I told you. You had no idea that they were doing each other, did ya?"

Kurt shook his head vigorously, much to the amusement of the other men.

Noah swung an arm over Kurt's shoulder. "How could you not know? They were practically humping each other when we came in last time."

Kurt shook his head again. "They were not. They were wrestling and doing holds like you did at fight club last Monday."

Noah laughed. "If we were five minutes later, I'm sure they would have been doing the same moves naked."

Jesse pouted as he shook his head mournfully. "Dude, after the last time we almost got caught Mac said we can only do it at the warehouse after hours. He won't even let me give him a blow job in the office... most days." He blonde finished with a wide smile and a wink to Kurt, who turned red.

Noah let go of Kurt and shuttered. "Eww. Old people sex."

Jesse looked annoyed with the comment. "Old? I'll show you old."

Noah ran to the other side of the room before Jesse finally caught up with him and the two started to fight with earnest. They both seemed tenser than they normally were but since they were normally such laid back men, they didn't seem to want others to notice.

Mac watched with Kurt for a second before motioning the boy to the office.

The two of them sat in the office for a few beats before Mac spoke. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out."

Kurt nodded. Now that he thought about it, it did seem a little odd the way Jesse had been looking at Mac when he was on the floor last week. Also the fact that Noah had called it gross instead of trying to figure out what moves had been used was odd. Add the wicked smile Jesse had thrown them that same day when he had to pay up for cussing and how happy Jesse seemed about paying up and it started to become clear. The fact that Mac had been so angry about the bruises last week and was willing to tear Noah a new one now made sense since he had probably gone through similar hazing stuff when he was younger.

The silence was heavy. Kurt had no idea what to say. He had so many questions to ask. Finally, he asked what was probably the least harmful. "Why is fight club canceled tonight?"

Mac looked at Kurt very amused. "Out of all the questions, fight club?" He shook his head. "You saw me when you came in. If there was a fight club, I couldn't be a spectator tonight. As good as a fighter as some of these guys are, I wouldn't be holding back like I should and I would hurt them. My temper is too close to the surface right now. Jesse might have a chance if he went against me but while he has speed, one good hit could really hurt him if I landed it right."

Kurt responded lamely with a "oh." After a second, he continued. "I'm sorry about your friend."

Mac shrugged. "It happened years ago. I was probably about your age and we had decided to go to the city for something or other. I don't really remember why we were there. I remember thinking it was odd that they went after him when I was the gay one. It was an ugly fight. It was five against us two but we gave as good as we got for as long as we could. I remember him screaming when his leg got hit.

"He's got a good life now. He's a multimillion dollar entrepreneur and was smart enough not to invest all his money in one place. He has the wife and kids to keep him busy, too."

Kurt paused. "Do you ever wish you had that?"

Mac shook his head. "The millions maybe but that man that's acting like a five year old right now, he's been with me for about fifteen years. I wouldn't want anyone but him."

Noah came in the door holding his side. "Mac, Jesse hurt me."

Jesse followed Noah in laughing. "He's just being a big baby."

Mac didn't get out of his chair and turned back to Kurt after he watched the two men come in. "And with Noah around, you can understand not wanting kids."

Kurt smiled slightly as he watch Mac lightly push Noah to the bench and ease his shirt off. There looked like there might be a bruise coming up but Kurt was sure that Noah wasn't really hurt. He knew Jesse wouldn't have been as carefree if anything happened to the mohawk sporting boy especially since he looked at Noah with so much affection.

Noah looked at Kurt with a smile as he was being patched up. "Has Mac told you any gay secrets yet? I bet they're good too."

Kurt shook his head. "No and even if he did I wouldn't tell you."

Noah put his hand against his heart as Mac backed away. Apparently, the 'injury' was just for attention. "I lead you to the land of the gays and you deny me the secrets. That's cold."

Jesse laughed. "Dude, we should totally change the name of the club to 'The Land of the Gays.' Come on Mac, think of people's faces."

Mac shook his head. "No."

Jesse smiled sweetly. "But what if I promise to do that thing you like."

Kurt turned red at the very public insinuations while Noah rolled his eyes. "Please, you're so whipped you would do it anyway."

Mac nodded.

Jesse sighed and draped himself over the back of Kurt's chair. "I guess it's just me and you."

Noah got up and pushed Jesse off of Kurt's chair. "You have weird gay cooties. Princess doesn't need them."

Jesse spoke softly as if to a child. "Puck, little man, Kurt is gay. Gay cooties won't hurt him. He's immune."

Noah growled. "No, old men gay cooties. They make you like I don't know... like poodle shirts and greasing your hair."

Jesse seemed annoyed. "That's the 50s you idoiot. I'm not that old."

Noah stepped closer to Jesse. "Almost."

Mac put two fingers in his mouth and whistled before anything else was said. "Noah, I cancelled your class. Go get rid of the energy. Take Jesse with you."

Jesse gestured for Noah to leave the room first and quickly followed. Kurt moved to go as well but one look at Mac made it clear that the older man was not done.

Kurt spoke up after hearing loud yelling from outside the door. "Shouldn't we make sure they won't kill each other?"

Mac shook his head. "They just need some anger out. Jesse would never hurt Noah but he's as mad as I am. They just need an outlet."

After a second Kurt said. "Noah smiled when he said to ask you about fight club. That's why I asked about fight club first."

Mac snorted. "The kid thinks it's funny when I act overly protective but seeing as how he acts..."

Kurt smiled. "He's like a papa bear at least that's what one of my friends called him."

Mac smiled slightly. "Matches my nickname." Mac got up from his chair. "Okay, let's practice."

Kurt swallowed. "As in you and me?"

Mac nodded.

Kurt put down his bag and walked out the door with Mac. He watched as Noah and Jesse weren't fighting like they had last Monday. This was completely viscous. The anger that Noah had been holding all weekend was coming out as he fought the blonde and Jesse wasn't holding back as much either. This was a brutal fight that neither seemed to want to end. Every time one of them fell, the other just paced until he got back up.

Mac had Kurt come to the other side of the warehouse but Kurt could still see Noah out of the corner of his vision. Mac seemed to have switched back to his silent but deadly routine as he started to push Kurt through the same drills that he had worked with Noah on the week before. Mac, however, was more prone to correcting minor issue than Noah was. The little changes did make a big difference though. Kurt became more fluid in his movements and the escapes were easier to understand and move through. By the end of the night, Kurt had managed to break many of the beginner breaks Noah had worked on with him though a few still eluded him.

About the time fight club would have started, Noah and Jesse went over to watch the end of Kurt's training session. Both of them were bruised and bleeding but no longer upset. Neither one of them talked which was extremely odd for the vocal pair but they looked content in just watching. When Mac finally decided to end the practice session, Kurt just moved over to Noah and sat down next to the teen, leaning against him like he had throughout the weekend. Noah didn't seem to mind as he wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer.

Mac sat down and let Jesse put his head in his lap. Mac slowly started to run his hand through the blond hair. Kurt saw the look in the pairs eyes now that he knew what he was looking for. He had seen it on some older couples, who had been together for a long time. It was contentment, affection and love. The male fighters were not as openly affectionate as some but the love was there. Then again the fact that Jesse was allowed to touch a man like Mac without him getting yelled at might have been a sign of affection in itself.

Kurt felt Noah pull him a little tighter and looked at the other teen. Noah gestured to the door with his head. Kurt looked back at the other too men who seemed lost in their own little world right now and nodded. The two teens went to the office and grabbed Kurt's things before heading to the door. Kurt turned back to say thanks and goodbye when he saw Jesse pulling Mac's head down to kiss him. Kurt quickly turned away and walked out of the building.

The pair got into Noah's car and started to drive to Kurt's. Half way to his house, Kurt spoke. "So I see why you aren't so homophobic."

Noah nodded fondly. "Yeah, it's hard to hate two of the people who helped raise you. I could never see them as the monsters or freaks that some people thought they were. They were always Mac and Jesse. Mac was my hero when I was little. No one was as strong or as cool as him. One year, I even went as him for Halloween."

Kurt looked out the window. "Then how could you say those things about fags before?"

Noah sighed. "I wanted a raise from you. The two easiest ways to do it was making you anger or embarrassing you. Calling you a fag seemed to do both at the same time. To be honest, I don't think love really has a gender or a background. There's love and no love. That's it."

Kurt looked at Noah trying to decided if he should be upset about the first half of his speech or impressed by the second half. "You're such a dick but sometime you have your moments, Noah Puckerman."

Noah smiled widely. "Thank you, Princess."

Kurt looked at Noah's swollen cheek and lightly touched it before pulling his hand back. "Why don't you let me fix you up before you go back?"

Noah looked Kurt and then back at the road with a smile. "I don't know. See I was planning on going to Barb's right now for a little pick me up since we had no dinner tonight."

As if by cue, Kurt's stomach started growling as he noticed that they had missed the turn to go to his house and were indeed going to Barb's. Kurt tried to play it cool. "I don't know. My dad might be awfully mad at me being home late."

Noah shook his head. "Nah, I called him from school and asked if I could take you out. He said he would just spend the extra time at work. By the way, you should probably check your messages. He said that he sent you a bunch earlier and you never responded."

Kurt frowned and went into his bag for his phone. When he looked down, there were at least three dozen messages from his dad, three from Mercedes, two from Tina, one from Santana and quite a few from various numbers that he didn't have in his phone. He quickly sent out a mass text saying that he was all right and that he would call everyone later. He then called his dad. The conversation was short after Burt had finished yelling at Kurt for being unresponsive to the many messages that Burt had left. Kurt apologized many times and switched between from feeling guilty and mortified over and over again. Noah was doing a bad job of suppressing his snickers which didn't help Kurt at all. After his dad was finished yelling, Burt told him he was expected home no later then 10 and that was only because Noah had asked permission before.

When the phone call was over, Noah started a full out belly laugh. "It's so much more fun watching someone else get yelled at than being the one in the hot seat."

Kurt sneered. "You shouldn't get into trouble then."

Noah parked and turned off his truck. "Sometimes, it just happens to the best of us. And anyway most of the time, I don't get caught." He wiggled his eyebrow. Noah waited for Kurt to follow before walking to the back of the diner and opened the back door. He let Kurt go in first before yelling, "I'm here."

Which was replied back by most of the staff with a "Go back." Noah laughed and took a bow before gesturing for Kurt to sit down as he started to greet his friends. Kurt watched as Noah worked the crowd. He went over to every person and said hello and spoke to them about something or other. Noah kept glancing back at Kurt as if he was making sure the brunette had stayed in place. Kurt relaxed as he felt for the first time all day since the attention was not on him. He was able to unwind and enjoy the sounds of the restaurant.

Noah came back to the table with their dinners. Noah smiled as he set the plates down. "They don't need any help so we can just dine and dash today."

Kurt smiled and started to eat. The food was delicious as always but he wished it was Noah's cooking instead. Noah had been at his house for breakfast and lunch both on Saturday and Sunday and it had spoiled Kurt since he wasn't used to such delicious food so often. Kurt finished eating and sat back to watch his friend. They had come a long way in the week and half between now and the first time they had eaten at the diner together. It seemed like ages ago but it wasn't. But they had gone through some crazy things in that time period. His world looked so different pre-Noah and he didn't want to go back. Noah grabbed Kurt's plate and handed it to the dishwasher before going back around and saying his goodbyes.

Kurt almost fell asleep on the way back home. Noah had been telling some crazy story about one of the guys who worked at the diner but it was the most content Kurt had felt since the incident. Add Noah's voice, a full belly and the gentle vibrations of the truck and it was a recipe for a good nap. When the pair arrived at Kurt's, Kurt insisted that Noah come into the house to clean up. It didn't hurt that Kurt had seen Finn's car in the driveway and he didn't want to deal with his dad and Finn playing house.

Noah smiled. "Sure thing, princess. My mom would kill me if I came home like this and then kill Mac."

Kurt opened the front door. "Any woman that lived through you growing up deserves a metal." He smiled over his shoulder as he walked in.

Noah shook his head a little annoyed. "I'm a good son."

Kurt turned to look at Noah. He very clearly step over a line. Kurt knew that Noah was working at least two jobs to get more money to help his family and hadn't meant to upset the other teen. He walked over to Noah and pulled the teen into a very odd hug. Odd because Noah didn't seem to want to be any part of it. "You are a good son. You work hard to get a little extra cash for your mom. You are a good friend because without you, I would not be as sane as I am right now. And you are a good person for the perviously mentioned reasons."

Noah pulled back a little then wrapped his arms around Kurt. "Thanks, princess. I needed that."

Kurt burrowed deeper into the hug. "I can't have my knight be all sad and weepy."

Noah pushed Kurt back and glared mockingly at Kurt. "Who's weepy?"

Kurt smiled and stepped back a few steps before answering. "Well if the shiny helmet fits." Kurt then darted down the hall to the living room where he heard the TV.

He almost made it through the doorway when Noah grabbed him by the waist and lifted him off the floor. Finn and his dad looked at pair. Burt started laughing at the shrieks and descriptions coming out of his son's mouth such as 'hairy ape' and 'Mr. T wannabe.' Finn, however, didn't seem so amused. In fact, he seemed pissed.

"Hey Puck, you should let Kurt go before his dad gets mad." Finn said.

Kurt squirmed in the arm of the mohawk sporting teen. He was balanced on his stomach over Noah's shoulder and couldn't really see what was going on. "Yeah, you should let me go. My dad could be getting mad. Remember, my dad's gun? He's been wanting to test it on a jock for while now."

Noah looked at the laughing elder Hummel. "Well, Mr. Hummel?"

Burt got up and walked past Noah to face his son. He was smiling ear to ear. "At least, I know where he is right now." He continued to walk past them to the kitchen.

Noah started laughing and let Kurt back onto his feet so he didn't hurt him. The smaller boy giggled along with his friend until Finn interrupted. "You could have hurt him."

Noah laid an arm over Kurt's shoulder. "Please, I would never do that to princess."

Finn got up and walked over to Noah and tried to stare him down. Noah tensed but returned turned the stare. "You used to throw him in to the dumpster."

Noah laughed darkly. "Seems like I took the job after you stopped doing it. I believe, however, you did it for years."

Finn's frown got more pronounced as he moved even closer to Noah but Kurt intervened before anything could be said or done. "Hey Finn, what are you doing here anyway?" He lightly pushed Finn back. He knew that even though Noah had burned some of his energy in his fight with Jesse, if he was pushed he would explode again and Finn was no where close to the fighter Jesse was.

Finn backed off a little and looked at Kurt. "I wanted to see if you wanted some help with tonight's homework."

Kurt frowned slightly. "You came over to hang out with me?"

Finn nodded. "But your dad said that you were out with Puck so I waited."

Weird, Kurt was sure that Finn had come over to hang out with his dad. "Umm, that's nice of you. I promised Noah that I would help him clean up so he could get home so do you mind waiting a little longer."

Finn looked back at Noah and shrugged. "Sure, I just have to get back home by ten-ish though."

Kurt smiled and grabbed Noah's hand to led him to the bathroom in the basement. He pushed Noah to sit on the rim of his tub so he could reach Noah's face without too much effort. Noah spoke as Kurt started to pull his massive first aid kit out. "You know he is just trying to be a friend."

Kurt pulled on Noah's shirt to get a look at the damage hidden underneath. He shook his head but realized nothing on Noah's chest needed to be bandaged. He just needed a few ice packs and maybe some aspirin to stop the bruising and the pain. "Well, he's not trying to be your friend."

Noah shrugged. "It needs time. A few more fights and we will be back to normal."

Kurt started to clean the cut on Noah's cheek before moved onto Noah's knuckles. "Will you fight back now? Because you didn't the other day at glee."

Noah nodded. "Well, now it's more even since he knows it wasn't as simple as he thought it was. He wants to pushed around a little too now to make up for the bad blood."

Kurt shook his head. "I will never figure out how men work."

Noah laughed. "You do know you are a guy too." Then he glanced down to Kurt's crotch. "Unless the doc checked you wrong at birth. It would explains some things."

Kurt punched Noah lightly causing the large boy to almost fall into the tub. Kurt laughed at the annoyed look Noah gave him. "You're the one who wanted to teach me defense."

Noah behaved as Kurt put butterfly strips on his cheek. He stood up as soon as Kurt was done and pulled the smaller boy into a head lock. "Yes, but you should know not to harass someone better than you."

Kurt pushed at the arm around his neck. "I wouldn't if I thought that you were better than me."

Noah laughed and started to messing with Kurt's hair. "You have a little bite to you." He let Kurt go and started to leave the room. "I'll send down your Prince Charming, princess."

Kurt huffed then yelled. "He's not my Prince Charming." Kurt looked into his mirror and said softly. "Not anymore."

Kurt left the bathroom and started to pull out his homework from his bag. A few minutes later, Finn came down the stairs with a smile. "Hey, Kurt."

Kurt looked up from his math. "Hey, Finn. Have a seat. The math doesn't look so bad tonight."

Finn sat and flipped open his book. "Yeah, well, I just wanted to show my support after you know..."

Kurt tried to smile. He didn't want to be reminded about what had happened on Friday. "Yeah, I do and you did show your support when you showed up this weekend."

Finn seemed listless but since Kurt wanted to get his work done so he could go to bed, he didn't ask Finn what was wrong. The sleepy feeling started to creep back onto him.

Finn finally got the courage to speak up. "Is he bullying you into being his friend?"

Kurt looked up confused. "Who? Noah?"

Finn nodded. "Yeah, after he had you over his shoulder, it seemed like he was pushing you..."

Kurt looked back down to his book. "I made fun of him. I knew before I even said it that he was going to do something like that so I ran. I almost was safe."

Finn interrupted. "So he doesn't make you feel safe? Do you want me to take are of him?"

Kurt shook his head. "You couldn't take him if you tried Finn and either way, it's no big deal." Finn got up and started pacing, which made Kurt watch the frustrated boy instead of finishing his homework. "What is bothering you? I thought you and he were trying to be friends again."

Finn stopped. "We are but there's some stuff we have to work through. But this isn't about me and Puck. It's about you and Puck. I mean me and Puck make sense being friends. We both are kind of alike. You know the football team and the basketball team and we both are kind of rough and tumble."

Kurt leaned back and folded his arms. "And I'm what, Finn? I can take apart your car and put it together faster than most of the guys that work for my dad. I believe I was the one who won that football game to get a permanent spot on the team. One of my favorite things to do is go hiking to get away from the drama of regular life. Does that make me more manly to you Finn or do I need to whip it out to prove it?"

Finn looked at Kurt. "No, that's not what I mean. I mean you always are so into how you look and take really good care of you skin and you like guys..."

Kurt stood up. "And Santana likes to sleep with Brittney and punch out guys. Does that make her more of a man than me?" He was shouting at Finn by the time he was done talking. Kurt sat down and said very calmly "I think you should go."

Finn shook his head. "I didn't me..."

Kurt rose his hand to stop Finn's words. "Finn, you are suffering from a very bad case of Foot-in-mouth disease. I would take care of it before you speak again."

Finn's shoulders sloped as he nodded and grabbed his books. As soon as he heard the his bedroom door shut again, Kurt whipped out his phone and called his number one person when he was in need.

As soon as the other person answered, in place of a greeting Kurt said, "Why are boys such morons?"

The giggling was exactly what he needed to hear. "A question for the ages, baby boy. So who are we talking about? Mohawk? Did he do something?"

Kurt sighed and went to his bed. He laid down on his back and started to speak. "No. Noah's actually being really nice. Odd as that seems, it is actually Finn that is causing me issues."

Mercedes laughed. "Is he being all tall and handsome?"

Kurt snorted. "More like dumb as a bean pole. He had the nerve to come to my house and say I wasn't a manly enough."

Mercedes hissed with empathy for her friends pain. "That's below the belt."

Kurt huffed. "Actually, I think the whole point is I have nothing below the belt. If that's my choice of crushes, I might as well go straight."

Mercedes laughed. "Yeah but think of all the hot gay honeys waiting for you."

Kurt pretend to think about it for a second. "I guess you're right. I wouldn't want to deprive anyone." Kurt laughed which was echoed over the phone by Mercedes.

After they recovered, Kurt let the silence take over the line for a little bit before saying, "I've missed this and I've missed you."

"Oh, I know, boo, but we are both busy people especially you, Mr. Must-Be-Part-of-Everything." Mercedes jokingly chided him.

The pair continued to talk for quite a while and only stopped when Mercedes' yawns were noticeable over the phone. Kurt quickly finished his homework and took a quick shower before finally getting to bed. He had a long confusing day and he hoped it would be better in the morning.


	18. Chapter 18

Waking up the next morning was hard for Kurt. The day before had been so chaotic, it seemed to follow him into his sleep. He had an uneasy night's sleep so when finally he got out of bed, he had already over slept by twenty minutes. Sure, that doesn't seem like much but considering all the products that he needed to make his complexion perfect, he was seriously stressed, which everyone knows leads to pimples. As if the stress he already had was not enough. He ran upstairs after his shower and grabbed a quick bite to eat. It was no where near enough food but he didn't want to be late to school or make Noah late. Then again, Noah never really cared about being on time.

Burt was watching the frantic teen with amusement but otherwise stayed out of the tornado that was Kurt's way. "So you want to tell me why Finn ran out of here last night?"

Kurt stopped looking in the fridge and just grabbed some cream cheese and a bagel. If this conversation went south, he wanted to get out of the house, quick. "He suddenly remembered that he had somewhere else he needed to be."

Burt looked closely at Kurt before saying. "That's what he said and I didn't believe him either. I know that it's weird that he's here but he is a nice kid and he just wants to be your friend."

Kurt somehow managed not to scoff at that comment especially after last night. "Okay, dad."

Burt smiled at Kurt. "I really like his mom and I'd like to be able to spend more time with her without worrying about you and him fighting. I'm not saying that you have to be bend over backwards to be nice but it seems like he's trying Kurt. Just give him the benefit of the doubt."

Kurt nodded and tried not to just blurt out what happened last night. He wanted his dad to be happy and he knew that Finn hadn't tried to be as awful as he sounded. It was just he didn't want to pretend to enjoy his time with Finn when he could be with other people who's company he genuinely enjoyed. He would try to talk things out with Finn later.

As Kurt was finishing putting cream cheese on his bagel, he heard the doorbell ring. He quickly grabbed his food and rushed to met Noah with the bagel in his mouth. When he opened the door, Noah smiled. "So you slept in?"

Kurt nodded as he locked the door and then grabbed the bagel from his mouth. "I had a long night."

The pair walked to Noah's car. After they had already started driving to school, Noah asked. "So are you going to talk about it?"

Kurt picked at his bag then final said, "I kind of kicked Finn out last night."

Noah sighed. "What did he do?"

Kurt smiled at the fact that Noah had automatically taken his side. "He said that Santana was more manly than I was. Okay, maybe he didn't say that but he said that I wasn't macho enough to be your friend."

Noah snorted. "As far as macho, most people have to fake it unless you are as studly as me. And as much I love Santa and as big as her stones are, yours are bigger. Heck, you're the only guy who is openly gay in high school. Yeah, Mac and Jesse are out but high school is a lot worse than the real world. At least, that's what they keep telling me."

Kurt nodded but didn't say anything so Noah continued.

"Look at what happened with me. Just because Finn told the football team that I was scum, they all took his side."

Kurt straightened up. "That's not what happened. Finn pushed them and apparently whined nonstop so the guys felt like the only way to get him to be quiet was to side with him. They feel horrible about what happened. And don't forget as soon as you asked them to look after me, they all fell in behind you. You are important to them and it was you who let them go over to team Finn."

Noah snorted. "Team Finn? Are we in Twilight? Does that make me the hot werewolf because I'm totally not that whiny vampire guy?"

Kurt giggled. "You know Twilight?"

Noah nodded mournfully. "I have a little sister that is obsessed though I was sure eight was too young for that crap."

Kurt smiled. "You can never be too young for romantic stories and Edward is tortured by his need to protecting his love by leaving her alone and the pain of being without her."

Noah smiled and rolled his eyes. "In other words, he's a pale hundred something guy who feels bad about wanting to molest a sixteen year old and goes all emo."

Kurt winkled his nose. "Well, when you put it that way, it sounds kind of perverted."

Noah smirks and wiggles his eyebrow. "And not in the good way." There was a pause. "I always thought that Mr. Sulky was hard for boys and couldn't figure it out. I mean seriously no play for a hundred years? Either there's something wrong with the plumbing down there or he just isn't into chicks. I would bet that he wanted to do the werewolf."

Kurt laughed. "And what makes you an expert on gays?"

Noah smiled. "Mac and Jesse... well more Jesse. He honed my gaydar, which you apparently you don't have."

Kurt was about to reply but as they were driving into the parking lot, he saw Karofsky standing at about where the jocks would usually wait for him. "Karofsky?"

Noah narrowed his eyes as the teen came closer to the truck after they parked. Karofsky waited until both of them were out before coming closer to Kurt. "Here, I made you this."

A brown bag was forced into Kurt's hands. Kurt looked at the bag and look at Karofsky, not knowing what to do. Noah solved the problem by grabbing the bag and trying to give it back to Karofsky. "What the hell's in here?"

Karofsky shrugged. "I heard some of the guys say that Hummel liked food so I made some cookies." He grabbed the bag from Noah and gave it back to Kurt. "Here. Eat them."

Kurt's eyes widened. He didn't want to be rude but he really didn't want to eat anything that Karofsky made. He probably poisoned it or something.

Noah grabbed a cookie from the bag and pushed it into Karofsky's face. "You first."

Karofsky grinned and grabbed the cookie from Noah. He took a big bite and turned back to Kurt. "Now you."

It was amazing that even when he was trying to be friendly, Karofsky still managed to scare the daylights out of Kurt. He hesitantly grabbed a cookie and looked at Noah. Noah was too busy trying to kill Karofsky with his eyes to pay attention to Kurt right then. Kurt took a big breath and bit into the cookie. After a second, he realized that it wasn't half bad. Actually, they were pretty good and he had tasted them somewhere before.

Karofsky smirked. "They're good, right? I made them from the ones in the tub."

Kurt nodded. Of course, he remembered them. He had the dates when the girl scouts sold the tubs circled on the calendar so he could get some. Okay, so he usually finished five tubs in a week and a half but they were so good. Kurt tried to give the cookies back to Karofsky but the linebacker stepped back.

"Actually, I was wondering what you were up to this Saturday." Karofsky said almost shyly, which was creepy on a boy with his demeanor.

Noah stepped in front of Kurt before he could answer. "Why? Are you asking him out on a date?"

Karofsky laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure my boyfriend would love that."

Noah snorted. "Yeah right. No one's desperate enough to date you." Karofsky growled and started to glare at Noah, who smiled at the little flare up. "Oh, did I hurt little Davy's feelings? I coul..."

Before Noah could finish his statement, Kurt pulled Noah back from the stare down. "Stop it. I don't want you suspended from school for fighting Karofsky." Kurt turned to Karofsky after pulling Noah behind him. "Why do you want to know if I'm busy?"

Karofsky had that shy look again. "Blaine, my boyfriend, is coming into town because of what happened with my brother and he said he wanted to meet you."

Kurt looked at Karofsky for a second. "Why does he want to meet me?"

Karofsky look at the ground. "He knows I'm a dick a lot of the time and that I am... was a bully and he just wants to make sure you're okay. He's just a really nice guy who likes to help people."

Noah snorted. "How the hell did he manage to end up with a fuck up like you?"

Karofsky looked pissed and started to advance on Kurt and Noah. In a desperate hope to stop the fighting, Kurt shouted. "Okay, I'll go."

Karofsky froze. "Really?"

Noah echoed him. "Really?"

Kurt nodded. "Yes, but only if Noah can come with."

Karofsky smirked. "As if I expected your guard dog to let you come alone."

Noah growled and tried to push past Kurt but the slight boy had a good grip on him. "I think you should go before I let Noah loose."

Karofsky nodded. "See you Saturday."

As Karofsky left, Kurt leaned back against Noah. "Gucci, now I have to met Karofsky's boyfriend."

Noah wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist. "Not you, princess. We have to unless you forgot that you roped me into this."

Kurt broke Noah's hold on him and turned to face the taller boy. "I'm sorry I just don't trust him and I know you have a life outside of protecting me and you probably don't want to..."

Noah covered Kurt's mouth with his hand. "It's fine. I'd rather be there than worried about what happened." He turned Kurt around and place his arm over Kurt's shoulder as they started walking into the school. "Plus, I want to see what kind of moron would date Karofsky."

Kurt laughed. "He's probably some poor defenseless kid who Karofsky just went up to and claimed as his boyfriend and is too scared to say otherwise."

Noah nodded. "Yeah, he's probably ugly too because even Karofsky knows he can't land a looker. Probably dumb as a box of rocks too if he's actually coming to visit."

Kurt nudged Noah. "Why weren't you surprised that Karofsky was gay?"

Noah let go of Kurt and leaned against the lockers next to Kurt's. "My gaydar rocks. That and this one time I was at his place I saw some pretty gay sites on his browser history. But mostly the gaydar."

Kurt giggled and shook his head. "You're something else."

Noah seemed to notice something in the distance. "I'll catch up with you later, princess."

Kurt nodded, a little confused by Noah's sudden departure but when he turned to see what made Noah leave, Azimio was blocking his way. Kurt sighed. "What do you want?"

Azimio shrugged. "I just wanted to know if I was still supposed to come tonight."

Kurt glared at the nicer of the two linebacker and let him sweat for a few second before saying, "Of course, you can come. I understand he's your friend but he's a real... well, the only words I can think of are swears so pick one."

Azimio nodded. "But he hasn't had it easy so it makes sense."

Kurt huffed. "But it doesn't make it right."

Azimio looked at Kurt then grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the stairwell. The five minute bell had already rang so most of the traffic was down to a minimum. "I remember the last time I went to his house. It was fine until his dad got home. He took exception to a... black kid being in his house. He tried to hit me but Dave stepped in front of me. His old man got so pissed that he beat Dave bloody before finally telling us both to get out of his house. I dragged Dave to my mom and she fixed him up and put him up for the next few nights. His mom and dad didn't even check where he was. The only one who seemed worried at all was his brother who asked mom to keep Dave for an extra few nights before sending him home. We were ten."

Kurt's hand was over his mouth as heard the story of Karofsky and Azimio's past. He knew that it had been bad, well, he had thought it had been bad when Karofsky told him about his brother but to hit a ten year old for defending his friend? That was unbelievable. It still didn't make it right that Karofsky was such a pain at school but considering how bad his family life seemed, what he did to Kurt was child's play.

There was an uncomfortable silence as neither one knew what to say. Finally when the bell rung to start class, Azimio spoke. "I'm not saying he is right and I'm not saying you should forgive him. I'm just saying maybe the guy deserves some slack."

Kurt lowered his hand and nodded. "I'm going to hang out with him and his boyfriend this weekend."

Azimio smiled a little. "His boy has a special way of handling him. It's changing him for what I think is the better. He's happier now."

Kurt softly asked. "How is his brother?"

Azimio smile widened even more. "Pat woke up for a second yesterday. It wasn't much but it gave Dave some hope that everything would be okay."

Kurt reached into his bag where he kept the cookies that Karofsky gave him. "Do you want a cookie? Karofsky made them."

Azimio shook his head. "You mean he spooned them from a tub and baked them."

Kurt started to close his bag. "Are you sure?"

Azimio smiled. "If he gave you some, I know his locker combo so I'll just get some from there. Let's get you to class before someone notifies Puck."

Kurt smiled. "He is a little overprotective."

The larger boy laughed. "That's like saying night is a little dark."

Kurt giggled. "Maybe."

Azimio walked Kurt to his history class and left to go to his own class. Kurt waved back at the linebacker and quickly went into the room. He smiled at Tina and Mercedes as he walked by their desks and noticed that Finn wouldn't even meet his eyes. Kurt sat down and glared at the back of the quarterback's head. It wasn't fair that Finn was acting so wounded when he was the one who insulted Kurt yesterday. History class was split between Kurt glaring at the back of Finn's head and concentrating on what Mr. Kirk was saying. As Kurt packed up at the end of class, Finn came and stood in front of him. Kurt glanced at him and went back to packing. "Yes?"

Kurt saw Finn's shoes toeing the floor. "I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean it the way it came out. Puck came and yelled at me this morning about how I was being a dick and that you're braver than most of the people in the school."

Kurt looked at Finn, who looked very uncomfortable. "What exactly did he say?"

Finn blushed, "Um, I think his exact words were, 'Man up and apologize to princess and if you can't I'm sure that you can barrow some balls from Kurt since he's got cojones to spare. Hell, he's more ballsy than most of the kids here."

Kurt walked out of the classroom laughing with Finn trailing him. "That sounds like Noah."

Finn grabbed Kurt's arm and turned him around in the hallway. "So are we okay?"

Kurt shook the hand off his arm. "I don't know. I promised my dad I'd be civil so I will be but if you keep on tell me what is best for me I don't think so. I don't need a keeper. If I did, I have a football team to choose from. I can use my own brain to figure out whether someone is good for me or not. I don't need you to screen my friends. I have been fine for long time without anyone but my dad watching out for me so you can stop being so overprotective."

Finn frowned and crossed his arms. "But you let Puck?"

Kurt threw his arms up in frustration. "Neiman Marcus, will you get past the Noah thing? I am friends with Noah. Whether I am friends with you has nothing to do with that."

Kurt felt an arm wrapping around his shoulder. He looked over to see Berry next to him and Jason on his other side. "Hey, little man. Is everything okay?" Jason didn't look at Kurt as he spoke. His full attention was on Finn, who seemed upset and annoyed.

Kurt smiled at his friends. "Yeah guys. Finn and I were having a little chat."

Jason scoffed. "Not what we heard. Karofsky told us that you two were fighting."

When did Karofsky suddenly care about what was going on with him? "Karofsky's wrong. We were just talking."

Berry interjected. "We could hear you 'talking' down the hall."

Kurt flushed. He hadn't realized he was that upset. "Sorry. I didn't know I was that loud."

Jason shrugged. "It's cool. How about we get to class?"

Kurt wanted to say yes but he knew that he had to figure out some kind of compromise with Finn because this problem didn't seem to be going away. "Thanks guys but I have to talk to Finn."

Berry let go of Kurt but didn't move otherwise. "That's fine. We'll wait."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine with Finn."

Jason folded his arms and glared at Finn. "We can wait."

Kurt turned and faced the jocks. "Boys, go!" There was a steel in his voice which he had learned from his father. There were very few people who would mess with that tone.

Berry glanced at Finn then to Kurt. "Fine but we'll be waiting at your class. Come on, Anderson."

Kurt watched the two jocks walk away fondly. He was totally going to give them cookies when he saw them. After they were out of hearing distance, Kurt turned back to Finn. "As you can see, I can handle myself. You have to get over this idea that I'm a damsel in distress because while I am fabulous, I am not nor will I ever be girl."

Finn responded with "But you just let those guys step in."

Kurt folded his arms. "Yeah but I sent them on their merry way when they decided to handle me. If you didn't notice, they let me deal with you alone so they apparently respect my decisions better than you do even when they have issues with them."

Finned didn't have a response to that. He just stood there seeming to think about what happened.

Kurt pulled his bag closer to him. "Look, I have to go to class before the boys come back with reinforcements. We can talk about this later."

Kurt started to turn when Finn answered. "Before you became friends with Puck, you would have jumped at the chance to be friends with me."

Kurt glared back at the other boy. "Then maybe it's a good thing I became friends with Noah first if that's how you treat a guy who is your friend. People like you are the reason the phrase 'with friends like you, who needs enemies' came to be."

Kurt stalked to his class. The boys were waiting for him at the door. He wished Noah was there instead. He could really use a hug right now and Noah was very affectionate. His distress much have shown since Jason, who usually was very stand offish, at least physically, pulled him next to him and laid an arm over Kurt's shoulder. "You okay, little man?"

Kurt shook his head. "Finn has his head stuck up his butt."

Berry nodded. "Finn does have his moments of absolutely stupidity."

Jason tightened his hold a bit. "You need us for anything, you can tell us even if it's getting Hudson off your back."

Kurt sighed. "His mom and my dad are still dating guys. It took a lot of planning to get them together. Plus my dad is happy with her so it's a no go on making Finn suffer."

Jason nodded. "That sucks."

Kurt shrugged. "My dad needs someone and she really is nice."

Berry finished mournfully. "Too bad Finn's being a douche."

Both Kurt and Jason started to snicker.

Berry looked confused. "What? We all were thinking it."

Kurt smiled and went in his bag. "Do you two want cookies?"

Both of the boys put their hands out eagerly and Kurt handed them both cookies as he laughed. Berry and Jason started to leave after they got their cookies. "Hey little man, are we still on for tonight?"

Kurt nodded. "Of course."

The boys waved goodbye and Kurt went into his class. He had been able to avoid Finn until lunch and grimaced as the quarterback had taken the seat that was next to his normal spot. Before he reached the table, he was grabbed by the arm and dragged to the jock's table. He looked to see Moser pulling him along. "Thanks for the help with the kicking yesterday."

Kurt looked at the other boy. "It was no big deal."

Moser nodded but said, "Yeah but the guys know that I can't really play that well but my dad really wants me on the team so by playing backup kicker, I can be on the team and out of everyone's way."

Kurt smiled. He had thought that the rest of the guys had pushed Moser into being kicker not that Moser needed the help to stay on the team. It was really nice of them actually. "Again, it's no big deal but why are you taking me to football team's table."

Moser dropped Kurt's arm. "Well, you're part of the team but you never sit with us so I thought maybe you would want to."

Kurt looked back at the glee table where Mercedes and Tina waved to him and turned back to their conversation and then Finn. Maybe a change of scenery wouldn't be so bad if his closest friends didn't seem upset. Mercedes had even told him the other night that Tina and her were happy that he had been getting more friends. It made him more confident she said.

He looked at the guys at the jock table who had been helping him out so much in the last few days. Maybe sitting at the jock table every once in a while wouldn't be so bad. Kurt nodded and walked over to the other football players. He was still a little worried since it was a big step to sit at the table with the guys. Finn didn't even do it that often anymore. Maybe because he wasn't always welcome considering what Kurt had been hearing the last few days about Finn.

He was about to say hello when Josh noticed him. "Hey little kicker, what are you doing over here?"

Kurt was worried this had been a bad idea when Josh got hit on the back of the head by Azimio. "He wants to eat here stupid. Move over."

Josh moved over, gripping about the hit that Azimio had landed. Kurt smiled at the linebacker and sat down. He saw most of the team minus Finn, Noah, Jason, Karofsky, and a few other guys were second string, who usually didn't sit at the jock table anyway. He could see Finn and Noah talking heatedly at the Glee table and the gossip was Jason usually spent time making-out with his girlfriend during lunch so the only person really missing was Karofsky. He quietly ask Azimio the where abouts of the boy.

Azimio leaned close to Kurt and said, "He's either on the phone with the hospital or his boy. Either way, he's not showing today."

Kurt nodded and pulled out his lunch. Before he could even try to eat it, it was pulled away from him. Simmons looked that food with confusion. "Hummel, that's rabbit food. I know I've seen you eat the real stuff."

Kurt sighed. "The girls get upset when they see me eat like I normally do so I just get something small and light for lunch and pig out when I get home."

Simmons pushed the food back to him. "That's just not right. You're already to skinny. Plus you're a guy. You burn through food. My girlfriend wishes she had my metabolism. She's always bitchin' about how I can eat anything and not gain an ounce. I don't understand why she's so worried. I think she's hot as is. She'd look like she was anorexic if she lost any more weight." Simmons grabbed his second serving of fries. "Here eat this."

Kurt protested. "It's your lunch."

Simmons shrugged. "If you pass out while you're supposed to be kicking, we'll be in trouble so eat."

Kurt felt bad. "I can pay."

Simmons laughed. "It's no big."

A few other guys at the table passed a bit of their food down to Kurt much to his embarrassment. "Guys, I do know how to eat."

Josh nudged him and stole a fry from Kurt. "You're kicker and unofficial mascot. Your job is to kick and let us take care of you."

Kurt glared. "I'm not a mascot and I don't need anyone to take care of me." He started to get up when Azimio grabbed his arm and forced him to sit back down.

"He didn't mean it like that. We know you aren't a fuzzy little bunny but you are like a little brother since you are the smallest in the group. It just means that we want to help you out is all." Azimio said. "Sometimes, it's nice to have someone to take care of."

Kurt pouted. "But I don't need anyone to take care of me."

Azimio sighed. "We aren't going to baby you through anything. We're just going to keep doing what we're doing. We'll feed you, make sure you don't get the crap beat out of you and send you home. The mascot thing just means that you're off limits to anyone who would want to harass you."

Kurt reply was truly intelligent. "Oh, I guess that's okay." He looked at the guys at the table who were playing attention to the conversation with various degrees of interest. Most seemed a little upset by the slight boy's remarks against their actions. Kurt looked at the team and apologized. "I'm sorry, guys. I didn't mean to upset you. I've just been a bit on edge since this weekend. You guys have been amazing. I don't think I've felt this safe ever at school. You really are my heroes. Plus you know any food is welcome."

Josh grabbed Kurt and gave the squeaking boy a noogie. "It's all good. We know you're a bottomless pit and it's probably just the lack of sugar to the brain that's talking. We know you love us. By the way, have you done anything about getting a couch into the girls' bathroom?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "No and I don't understand why you are trying to get the gay guy to get a make-out couch into the girls bathroom."

One of the jocks farther down reacted. "There's a make-out couch in the girls' bathroom?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, there is no make-out couch in the girls' bathroom."

Josh then spoke. "Yet, I'm trying to convince Hummel that there should be."

A few guys spoke up with their agreement on the make-out couch idea. The thought of a petition that was signed by both girls and boys was brought up and everyone agreed that they would have to use a different name then make out couch. Kurt tried to bribe the boys by saying he would give them the remaining cookies if they dropped the idea but Berry came up behind Kurt and grabbed the cookie bag from Kurt. This, of course, lead to a fight over said bag but at least the make-out couch idea was dropped for now.

When the bell rang, Kurt reminded the people in the studying session that would be held at his house like usual and then invited the rest of the crowd for movie night. The movie night idea was approved by all that heard so Kurt was probably going to have a whole football team over that night. Kurt smiled in relief that his little outburst hadn't lost him his friends. Who knew one little dumpster dive could make someone so popular?


	19. Chapter 19

The rest of the school day was pretty normal for Kurt. He had told Josh to invite Finn to the movie night that night since he didn't want more drama from Finn or his dad. The group was supposed to decided on a movie and bring it over or grab a few and vote later. It seemed like all of the football team was going to be there. When Kurt went to make sure Mike and Matt were coming with, he saw that Santana and Brit were with them. He quickly decided to invite the glee group over for the movie as well. He told the girls to come over and got positive responses from the four of them before texting the rest of the group. Artie and Tina had a date planned for that night and Mercedes' mom's birthday so they weren't coming but otherwise the night seemed like it was going to be a hit.

He hadn't seen Noah except for waves down the hallway until they were finally leaving the school. "So did you hear about movie night?"

Noah nodded as they walked to the car. "Yeah, sounds like a good plan but I might have to bail early. My mom wants to hang out tonight."

Kurt frowned as he got into the truck. "Oh."

Noah sighed. "Nothing can be done about it, princess. My mom, my sister and I have a standing date. I'll stay as long as I can but if she calls I'm have to go."

Kurt shook his head. "I was looking forward to hanging out."

Noah nodded. "Yeah, I know."

The car was silent until the reached the house. For Kurt, the evening had lost its appeal. He knew that he should happy that so many people were coming but so much of his happiness was tied to whether Noah stayed for the movie. Outside of Artie, he really didn't have many male friends and the fact that it was Noah that was abandoning him almost made him want to cancel the movie night all together. He knew he couldn't though since he made such a fuss at lunch and movie night was going to be kind of a sorry for being such a drama queen earlier.

Kurt grabbed his bag and moved to the house. He had seen his dad's car on the driveway so he was sure the older Hummel was in the house. "Hey dad." Kurt called out as he entered.

Burt responded with, "In the den."

Kurt looked at Noah who was right behind him. "Hey, I'm going to go say hi to my dad. I'll met you down in the basement in a few."

Noah nodded and went to Kurt's room. Kurt walked over to the den door and watched his dad looking at his schedule with frustration. "Hey dad."

Burt looked up. "Hey, Kurt. How was school?"

Kurt shrugged and sat down in a chair opposite his dad. "It was the same old same old but what's up with you?"

Burt leaned back and let the day-planner fall on the table. "It's nothing. Just some scheduling issues. I'll figure it out. So what's the plan tonight?"

Kurt knew it was more than just some scheduling issue but just like he didn't like to worry his dad with issues at school, Burt didn't like to worry Kurt about work. "I have the study session with the guys and then most of the football team and glee are coming over to watch movies. You can watch too if you want."

Burt smiled. "Sounds good. I know I wasn't completely behind having all those guys over to begin with but they seem like they're alright."

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, they are. They even made me their mascot." The last phrase was not as happy as it could have been.

Burt laughed. "I can see that."

"Thanks, dad." Kurt mock pouted after he spoke.

Burt smiled. "The mascot's important. They give the team hope and courage. The ybond the team together."

Kurt smiled softly. "Really? I never thought of that."

The father and son relaxed for a second before Burt hesitantly spoke. "They have a led on the car."

Kurt stopped breathing for a second before motioning his father to continue.

"I know I said that it wasn't David Karofsky but there may be chances that it could be his dad or someone his dad knows. Apparently, it wouldn't be the first time some of his dad's friends had done something like this. Officer Willis called and told me earlier today."

Nodding, Kurt tried to smile. "So then they are close to getting who did it."

Burt nodded. "Yeah, they got some good evidence from Karofsky's place when the son let them in. They found some paint cans with fingerprints that matched the ones on your car."

Kurt felt happy but nervous. It meant that they knew who it was but they had no idea where they were otherwise the cops would have them by now. "Can I get the car back?"

Burt shook his head. "I don't think so and even if we could, I don't think I would want it back after what happened."

Frowning at the thought that his first car was lost forever, Kurt nodded.

There was a brief silence in the room before Burt spoke. "Do you want to order pizza with the movie?"

Kurt shook his head. "Let's see what we get first and then order as needed."

"You would do anything as a kid for food too. I would worry about some stranger luring you away with the promise of pizza." Burt laughed at his own joke.

Kurt scoffed. "Please pizza? I'd at least hold out for cake."

Burt laughed. "Good to know you have standards. Why don't you get out of here so I can figure out something with all of this stuff so I can watch the flick too?"

As he nodded, Kurt up and left the room. They were so close to getting the criminals but until Kurt knew that they were behind bars, he wouldn't feel safe. At least tonight, he was going to be able to spend time with his dad. With the tight schedules that they both now had, it seemed that if they missed Friday they wouldn't be able to see each other for a few days. Considering how close he was to his dad, Kurt felt upset about the loss of contact with the older man. The last few days had been nice only because Burt was around all the time. Kurt was sure that was temporary and as soon as the vandals were caught, it would go back to the way it was.

Kurt walked downstairs to see Noah had moved the furniture for the study session. He smiled at the mohawk sporting boy. "I'm going to go wash my face."

Noah followed Kurt to the bathroom. "I was wondering what all those bottles were for. I use a bar of soap and I'm done."

Kurt tsked. "You are abusing your skin. These are for at night," Kurt pointed about six different bottles. "These are for morning." He pointed to four on the first shelve behind the mirror. "And these are for general cleaning both night and day." Kurt gestured to the color coded bottles.

Noah shook his head. "And you put makeup on over all that? No wonder you take so long to get ready."

Kurt glared. "I work hard to look the way I do."

"I'm sure you do but I'm also sure you don't need all that junk. I bet that even without this stuff on your face you'll look fine." Noah said.

Kurt shook his head. "Oh no, you don't. You've already put a wrench into my system in the last few weeks. I've missed my nightly routine a few times because of you."

Noah leaned towards Kurt. "And I've never seen any difference. You still look like the same princess that you always do."

Before Kurt could reply, Berry came into the room. "Hey guys, most of us are here and I think the best place to start tonight is with Spanish. I know today isn't a Spanish day but I think we could use the help."

Noah stepped closer to the door. "Sure, I'll get things started while princess cleans up."

Berry and Noah left the bathroom, which left Kurt staring at the mirror. Excluding the night of the destruction of his baby, he had always had makeup on when he saw anyone. His dad was the only one who ever really got to see him without anything on and that was mostly because Kurt hated mornings so he left off his morning makeup on the weekends if he didn't have plans. Yet, Noah said that it didn't matter. Though that was the opinion of a straight guy, Noah was still his friend and probably wasn't trying to steer him wrong. Maybe he needed a little bit of the male perspective if he ever wanted to get a guy. Kurt sighed and took off his makeup and put only the lightest layer of powder before going into his bedroom with his head high. Noah had the group going over the last two days Spanish lessons. As Kurt walked passed him, Noah nodded to Kurt with a look in his eyes that showed he liked the changes. Kurt grabbed his book and turned to the page that Noah was reviewing. He let Noah's calming voice wash over him and Kurt felt stronger than before.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

The group finished Spanish and moved onto English and Math before Kurt finally called a halt to the proceedings due to food. The group laughed and followed Kurt upstairs where there was a food waiting at the table like at a buffet. The boys grabbed what they wanted and moved to the living room to watch the movie. Kurt got his seat next to his dad and allowed Azimio to sit next to him. The linebacker was more open tonight. He quietly told Kurt a few dirty jokes during the session causing the teen to turn red and flustered since both Azimio and Kurt knew he wouldn't repeat most of the jokes even after hearing the pleas from the rest of the group, who kept on asking what was so funny. He could never look at blowing bubbles the same.

Noah had sat in front of Kurt again but had his phone on his lap to make sure he left on time. While the movie was being argued over, Noah got a text and he got up. He made an apologetic face as he walk to the door. Kurt got up and followed him.

Noah smiled at Kurt as he opened the door. "Hey, maybe we can hang out after fight club tomorrow."

Kurt nodded. "Sure. Have a good time with your family."

The mohawked teen looked like he had wanted to say something but thought better of it. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow, princess."

Smiling, Kurt nodded as Noah left. "Yeah. See you tomorrow."

Kurt closed the door and went back to the living room. He knew he was being silly but Noah had become very important to him fairly quickly. The fact that he was the one that had found him last Friday made Kurt want to cling to him even more. Before Kurt could brood any longer, he was hit in the face by a pillow. He looked to see Berry pointing at Josh who was pointing at Michaels who motioned to Simmons who nodded at Mike who pointed to Matt who nudged Azimio. The bigger man shrugged. "Puck did it."

Kurt giggled. "He already left."

Berry smiled. "That's the brilliance of the rule. Puck doesn't even have to be here for it to be his fault."

The doorbell rang and Kurt got up to answer it. Santana and Brit were at the door with a few of the football players coming up the driveway. Brit bounced into the house leaving Santana and Kurt at the door. "So is everyone coming to this shindig?"

Kurt nodded. "Karofsky's not invited, Tina and Artie had a date tonight and it's Mercedes' mom's birthday but everyone else. Noah was here but he had to go hang out with mom."

Santana nodded. "Puck and family are really close. They usually have a Sunday night thing but since dance competitions are gearing up, his mom and sister get really busy so they move the dinner sometimes."

Kurt nodded. He remembered that Noah had left somewhat early on Sunday but he had spent most of the weekend at the Hummel house. Seriously, Noah had spent more time at Kurt's than anyone else other except for the people who actually lived there.

She lowered her voice a little. "I know you are trying to be strong for everyone but it's okay to loose it sometimes. At times, I feel like I have to take on all the ugly side of being with Brit, you know, because I don't want her upset. But she knows and she helps me through it so I guess I'm asking is are you seriously okay? I know that the football team is keeping a very close eye on you but you know if you ever need a real bitch fest you can come to me. I do bitch better than anyone you know."

Kurt laughed and hugged the girl. "I'm fine right now but thank you." Kurt let Santana out of the hug but linked his arm with the feisty girl as they ushered more movie watchers in. When most of his guest were there, Kurt pulled Santana with him into the living room and made her sit next to him on the couch. Brit smiled and moved to sit on the floor in front of the duo. Josh started to laugh. "Hummel's a player."

Santana moved from her spot onto Kurt's lap. "Gay guys are hot."

Kurt looked condescendingly at the room. "What can I say? When you got it, you got it." Kurt flashed a wicked smile at the room.

The room roared with laughter. Berry almost fell over onto Josh since he was laughing so hard. Burt snorted. "Hey Romeo, why don't you pick a movie?" Though it seemed that he was incredibly entertained by the show as well.

By the time the stragglers ,such as Finn, showed up, the group had decided to watch 'Paranormal Activity.' The choice was booed by Rachel and Quinn. Rachel quickly gave in when Josh offered his services as warm body to clutch if needed. You couldn't really blame her either since Josh was kind of the hot side. Quinn was a little harder to persuade since Finn's offer to sit next to her was not worth the nightmares she said she was going to get. From her post on Kurt's lap, Santana said that she would stay in Quinn's room that night if she was really upset. That did make the blonde ex-cheerlead change her mind. Though the girls did have to hit a few of the guys for the dirty leers the boy were sending them after that image was lodged in their dirty teenaged boy brains. Quinn moved so she could sit next to Finn, who smiled at his ex.

Kurt was excited about the movie. He hadn't been able to see it in the theater since most of the friends did not like horror flicks. Kurt loved them. The mystery and suspense added with usually bad dialogue and even worse story plot were amazing to him. This love had actually started when he was really young and a friend of his made him watch Wizard of Oz. The idea of witch with evil monkeys scared Kurt so badly when he was little. Yet his friend loved it so they watched it every day and Kurt got addicted to the little spike of fear he got watching the monkeys coming and taking Toto away.

As the movie started, Santana leaned back against Kurt's chest. "Is this okay?"

Kurt wrapped his arms Santana's waist. "You hardly weigh anything."

Santana smiled. "You would make a girl very happy saying stuff like that."

Snickering, Kurt replied. "To bad they've got the wrong equipment."

Santana glance over her shoulder to Burt before whispering to Kurt. "Hello, dildos, vibrators, and strap-ons?"

Kurt nearly dropped Santana as he laughed. "Why buy the parts when they come included in some models?"

Santana looked at Brittney, who was completely absorbed in the movie. "Sometimes the insides makes all the difference."

Kurt nodded. "Yeah but I like my outside casing a little harder."

Santana hit Kurt. "Shut up and watch the movie." Santana curled up closer to brunette, who didn't say a word when the little spitfire near broke his hand during the last scene.

Unlike many of the people in the room, Kurt smiled at the end of the movie. He had actually liked it but seeing some of the green faces in the room, he might be in the minority. Santana looked around and started laughing. "You're a bunch of girls!"

Finn straightened up. "Hey, it was creepy."

Jason spoke up behind him. "That doesn't mean that you should scream like a girl."

Glaring at the lankier boy, Finn said. "That was Quinn."

Quinn hit Finn. "Don't lie. I do not scream like that."

Finn started turning red much to the amusement of the room. A few seconds later, it was apparent that Finn was getting truly upset. "It's not funny."

"Relax, sweetie. Everyone knows that you don't like scary movies. It's okay." Quinn said try to comfort Finn.

Finn looked like he was about to say something but he saw Burt in the corner of the couch and seemed to realize that he should stop whining. "It's fine."

Kurt hid his laughing behind Santana, who had a very pleased look on her face as well. The boys started to clean up and head out for the night. Finn left pretty soon after his comment while Santana refused to get up until the cleaning was done causing Kurt to just watch as his guests cleaned. The team thanked Burt for letting them come over again and said good-bye to Kurt. As Kurt watched this friends go down the driveway through a crack in the drapes, he noticed Rachel Berry was being escorted to her car by Josh. A love connection might have been made.

Santana finally got up when Mr. Hummel said goodnight and left for his room. "Kurt, thanks for the invite. It was fun."

"You know you can come over anytime you want. We are friends." Kurt said as he escorted Santana and Brit out.

Santana nudged Brit. "I'll take you up on that sometime."

Brit lunged forward grabbed Kurt in a forceful hug. "Don't worry. I'll protect Santana tonight. I'll tell her the story about unicorns."

Kurt moved his arms as much as he could considering Brit had pinned them to his body. "I'm sure you will. You'll to a good job too."

As he watched the two girls go down the sidewalk, Kurt thought wistfully about how someday he wanted someone who would love him like Santana. Or maybe someone who would show him the bright side of life like Brit. Or maybe just someone who would be there to hold him when the monsters came out at night.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter betaed by Bandit Blythe

* * *

Kurt woke up earlier than normal the next morning. He had fallen asleep right after Santana had left, but his homework was finished by the time the study session was over so it was not a big deal. That morning he felt like making some breakfast before school with the extra time he had, so he rushed through his skin care. Though he had relented to Noah the night before, it did not mean he was going to go to school without the usual layers. He loved his style and his flair but it was nice to be himself without the extras and still feel like people didn't cared.

He ran up the stairs to the kitchen and slipped on his black apron, heading straight for the eggs. His dad liked simple scrambled eggs with bacon on the side in the morning. It wasn't something that he was always willing to indulge his dad with, but Kurt figured once in a while wasn't horrible. It usually kept his dad a little more pliable on days where Kurt felt like pulling out ultra healthy recipes.

Thinking about the last few weeks though, his dad had been eating like a teenager since Kurt hadn't had time to cook. Kurt quickly switched the morning menu to scrabbled eggs with only the whites for his dad and used the yellows in his own. Yes, it was bad for him too but he was still a growing boy. And he was going to substitute the breakfast fries that were baked rather than fried.

His dad came down and smiled at Kurt. "I could smell the eggs going but why is there no bacon."

Kurt glared at his dad. "You have been eating like a teenager for weeks now and I'm sad to say that you are not that young anymore. You should be eating healthier."

Burt groaned. "Not this again."

Kurt folded his over his chest, "Yes, this again. I'm not asking you to eat salads at every meal. I'm just asking you to not eat food that's high in fat and cholesterol all the time." Kurt plated the food he made. "Look, this is tasty, and it's good for you."

Burt frowned at the plate with suspiciously but still took a bite as Kurt served himself food and sat down. Reluctantly, Burt said, "It's okay. It could use a little kick though... I like the potatoes."

The younger Hummel nodded, and after swallowing, pointed out, "Since they are baked they aren't as bad for you as the regular breakfast fries. They're also easy to make, too. So can I get you to eat like this, at least every once in a while?"

Burt shrugged. "Sure, but you're never really at home anymore."

"Yeah, I know." Kurt looked down at his plate and started to play with his food. "I don't know when everything got so busy."

Burt clapped his son on the back. "Don't worry about it so much. We'll figure something out. I mean Finn was just talking about how he wanted to learn more about cars so, I set him up with a job twice a week at one of the shops and then he can come over here and hang out with you."

Kurt's jaw dropped. He didn't know what was worse. The fact that Finn was now going to be a regular at one of his dad's places or the fact that he would have to spend time with Finn afterwords. He cleared his throat and replied simply, "That's grea,t dad."

Burt smiled, oblivious to how revolting the prospect of Finn being around all the time was to his son. "I know you like to work in the garage too sometimes, so you could work there on Sundays if you wanted."

"Is Finn going to be there on Sundays?" Kurt asked softly.

"No, he is going to be working on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school."

At least, he wouldn't have to deal with Finn then. Plus, it would be great to work with his dad on cars again. He had only missed a few weeks but Kurt was craving taking apart a car. Something did not add up, however, "What about glee?"

Burt shrugged. "He said that Mr. Schu loved him, so missing practice wasn't going to be such a big deal for him. I said I could choose another day but he didn't want to work after football practice 'cause football ran late sometimes."

It was true that Mr. Schu cut Finn a little extra slack but he was going to have a mutiny on his hands if he let Finn get away with missing glee all the time. At least, Finn hadn't picked Fridays so he couldn't ruin every TV night with his dad. "I don't think that he'll get away with missing that many days."

"It makes no real difference to me. I'd prefer him working on either Monday or Wednesday since you're not at home and I'm usually stuck in front of the TV all night." Burt said taking his plate and washing it.

Kurt was about to reply when he heard the doorbell. "That would to be Noah. I have to go." Kurt scarfed the rest of his breakfast and grabbed his lunch and bag. "Bye Dad, have a good day. Oh, and I'll take a shift at one of garages on Sunday. Just tell me which one you'll be working at."

Burt nodded and followed Kurt to the door. "You know, that Noah kid is awfully nice to pick you up and drop you off. He does looks like such a punk though."

Kurt smiled. "He's a good friend."

Burt gave Kurt an odd look. "Yeah, he's a good friend. Have a good day at school."

As Kurt walked to the truck, he brushed off the look as his dad having a weird morning. Noah was a good friend. He had been there for him more than anyone else had in the last few weeks. He was starting to inch up on Mercedes. Kurt smiled widely as he sat in the car. "Good morning, Noah."

"You seem extremely happy for a hump day. Did you start celebrating early? Who did you hump this morning that's got you so happy?" Noah joked as he started the journey to the school.

Kurt smacked him on the arm. "Eww, the only people I've seen this morning are you and my dad."

"Does that mean you're going to hump me? Because I know I'm tempting but getting off while driving is hard in more ways than one." Noah wiggled his eyebrow.

Putting more strength into his next hit, Kurt giggled, "I'm not going to hump you."

Noah pouted. "That's not nice. Now, I don't want to hump you either."

Kurt moved closer to Noah. "Aww, did I hurt Puckzilla's feelings? Should I kiss it and make it all better?"

Noah smiled wickedly. "I've got something you can kiss."

Giggling, Kurt replied, "I'm not kissing your hairy ass."

Noah gasped mockingly. "My ass is not hairy! It's perfect. Do you want to see?"

"No, I believe you. Just get us to school in one piece." Kurt squeaked.

Noah shook his head. "You know, for a guy who is supposed to like dudes, you sure are very prudish about seeing them naked."

Kurt shrugged. "I was in the closet until just a little while ago, but boys have always acted... weird if I glanced at them. Soon I realized that if I didn't look, I wouldn't get into to trouble. I even asked Coach to let me take a shower before the rest of you so I could get washed up without anyone worrying about the gay kid checking him out."

"You know the guys won't do anything anymore." Noah said.

"Yes, but it's ingrained now. Also, I don't want to see all of you guys naked anyway. The first time I see a guy naked I want it to be the guy I'm with, not the jock who forgot a his towel." Kurt explained.

Noah snorted. "You've had to see a guy in the buff before in the locker room."

Nodding, Kurt continued his argument. "It's not that I've never seen a guy naked, but I don't sit there and admire the scenery. I mean as soon as I realize they're naked, I usually glance away before they notice me looking." Kurt paused for a second. "Is it weird that I just want the first guy that I'm with to be the first guy I really admire without clothing? I know guys are supposed to be horn dogs, and it's not like I don't get the urge, but I think I'm owed at least something for all the grief I've gotten."

"It just means that you want your first to mean something. My first time was when I was twelve with Jessica Ambers, who was a few years older than me. It was good but just because it was sex, not because it was special. I figured out what all the moving parts were for and went on banging any girl that I was attracted to if they said yes." Noah turned to Kurt and smirked. "Anyway, you probably will have the Catholic school girl thing going for you."

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed. "Catholic school girl?"

Noah smiled wickedly, "You know, all prim and proper until you met 'the' guy then you go all nympho on them." He glanced at Kurt. "Yup, you're destained to be a nympho."

Kurt turned red. "Just because you are a sex-addict doesn't mean I'll be one. Some of us have restraint."

"Just keep telling yourself princess and it might come true." Noah said as he pulled into a spot at the school.

Kurt looked around and saw Karofsky standing at the same spot he had been in yesterday with another bag. Frowning, Kurt tried to decided whether other people knowing his soft spot for food was finally working against him. He got out of the car and started to walk up to Karofsky knowing Noah was behind him. "Karofsky."

Just like the day before, Karofsky pushed bag into Kurt's hands. The smaller boy looked into the bag and saw Ho-Hos and Twinkies. Kurt looked up questioningly at the bigger teen.

Karofsky shrugged. "I can't really cook or bake so I just grabbed some stuff."

Noah grabbed the bag and looked in. He started laughing. "I think this is the perfect assortment for you, princess."

Kurt snared at Noah and grabbed the bag back. He speed-walked to the school trying to ignore Noah's continuing laughter from behind him. He saw Josh standing next to his locker and quickly hid the new treats into his bag. "Hey Josh."

"Hey little kick, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor." Josh said looking somewhat nervous.

Kurt rolled his eyes. Yet another nickname. "What can I do for you?"

Josh looked around before leaning in. "Well, you know Rachel, the chick in the skirts and knee hit socks?"

Kurt suppressed his want to roll his eyes again. "Yes, I know Rachel. What about her?"

"Well... I think she's kinda hot and I was wondering if she was seeing anyone." Josh spoke lightening quick.

Kurt shook his head, amused at the pair that Josh and Rachel would make. Yeah, Josh was still a jock but he was more laid back and more open than Finn was. Actually, the fact that they were both on the same team was probably the only thing that they had in common. Josh had a very high tolerance when it came to other people. He came from a mixed background with his dad being a black lawyer and his mom was a teacher in her native tongue of Spanish at the local community college a few towns over. It was a strict but loving family, which made him a very strong but level minded guy. Kurt could see how the practical way that Josh thought help him deal with the high 'drama' that surrounded Rachel.

Grinning, Kurt grabbed his books and closed his locker. He quickly linked his arm under Josh's and dragged the boy into a less busy hallway that he knew the glee squad would not be in. "Rachel is completely available. In fact, I'm positive she is looking for someone."

Josh nodded, but said, "But I heard she had a thing for Hudson."

"'Had' being the main word. I think you two would make a cute couple. If you want, I could see if she was interested." Kurt eagerly offered his help.

Josh smiled brightly at Kurt. "Thanks, little kick. I kind of wanted to ask her out for Friday so could you check if that's okay?"

"Consider it done." Kurt didn't even wait to say goodbye as he went to find Rachel. Instead of finding the short Jewish girl, he ran into the whiny brunette giant. He sighed. "Good morning, Finn."

"Hey, Kurt. How'd you sleep?" Finn hesitantly uttered.

Kurt shrugged. "I slept fine. It was no worse than when I watched the Ring. I like horror flicks. They are more amusing than scary."

"Really? I've never liked scary movies. I have nightmares for days after I watch them." Finn complained.

Kurt tried not to laugh. "I still think that they are amazing since there is usually some ridiculously dramatic scene moment before the big finish. I used to be scared too but that was years ago. I think the last time when I was about tenish." Kurt felt a little childish but it was entertaining seeing the looming teen being scared of the boogie man.

Finn frowned. "I... Just because I don't like scary movies doesn't make me like scared little kid."

"I didn't say anything like that. I was just staying that I'm not scared of them." Kurt leaned back.

"No, you're making fun of me." Finn started to get irritated. "I'm not a girl for being scared of horror flicks."

"Yes, because it seems like the girls were fine with the horror flick. In fact, I'm pretty sure I didn't hear any of them scream like you did." Kurt pointed out. "Look, I've got to go." Kurt started to walk past Finn when his arm was grabbed. Kurt looked at the hand then up at Finn. "Let go of me, Finn."

The grip got tighter. "Stop walking away from me."

Kurt used his other hand to grab Finn's wrist and twisted it hard. Finn yelped as he let go. "Stop trying to grab me."

"Hey, what's going on here? Is he giving you a problem?"

Kurt turned to see Karofsky coming up to them. His long legs seemed to eat up the hallway. Kurt let Finn go and backed up. He had seen that look on Karofsky's face before and it was never good for him.

Finn got in front of Kurt. "It's fine."

Karofsky stepped up to Finn. "I wasn't talking to you, Hudson." Karofsky looked over to Kurt. "Hummel, is this clown giving you trouble?"

Well, that was a bizarre twist. His biggest nightmare was defending him from his ex-crush. "Yeah, but I can take care of it. Thank you, though. And for the snacks. You really don't have to bribe me."

Karofsky pushed Finn as he walked closer to Kurt. "No problem. I just thought that you like food so it wouldn't hurt anything."

All around them, there were groups of on lookers trying to figure out what had happened between the three teens. Though Kurt was used to the gossip mills talking about him, it hadn't made him enjoy it. Karofsky must have realized that the group seemed to be pushing even closer to them and glared at the students nearest to him. "There's nothing to see," he growled, "Get lost."

Even though Karofsky had not bullied anyone for the last few days, he was still a big imposing figure with a horrible rep. The hallway was cleared pretty quickly after they realized that whatever was happening was not worth Karofsky's ire. Karofsky smiled. "I've still got it." He looked at Kurt. "Come on. Let's get to class."

Finn started to follow them since he had the same class as Kurt, but one glance back from Karofsky made him turn around and take the long way to class. Kurt giggled softly. "I know I shouldn't condone what you did but it is funny."

Karofsky smiled. "That's why I do it... well did it. If Hudson does that again, just get me. Hudson doesn't really scare ease since most of the guys give him a free pass."

Kurt agreed with Karofsky. Though the other guys did seem upset at the QB, Jason and Berry didn't really scare Finn like Karofsky did. Actually it seemed like their main way to showing their unhappiness with a teammate was to freeze the person out. It was clearly not as effective as Karofsky's methods. Not that he did wanted the linebacker to protect him but it was entertaining to see Finn almost run in the other direction. "So how is your brother doing?"

Karofsky smiled from ear to ear. "He woke up yesterday and the docs said he would make a full recovery. Well, almost full. The pounding did mess up his knee but otherwise he should be fine."

Kurt was relieved. Even though he didn't really care for Karofsky that much, it was apparent that his brother was important to him. "I'm glad. Is he going home soon?"

Karofsky seemed to deflate a little. "No, he's not going home for about a week because the docs want to keep an eye on him. But at least, I know my dad is out of the house. The cops came around and I let them in. Apparently, he now has a warrant out for, y'know, what happened to you and my brother. It's weird but I am happy that my dad's going to jail."

"It makes sense considering..." Kurt said.

The linebacker seemed uncomfortable. "Yeah but thanks for saying yes about Saturday. Blaine's looking forward to it."

Kurt shrugged. "It's no problem."

Karofsky looked over Kurt's shoulder and smiled. "Hudson's peeking around the corner to see if the coast is clear."

Kurt looked over to see Finn looking around the corner at the two of them. He turned back to Karofsky and smiled. "Maybe you should go. I'm pretty sure that the teacher won't let anything happen to me."

Karofsky nodded and walked down the hallway towards Finn. Finn flinched backwards causing Kurt to nearly giggle but since it would be rude if he did, he stopped himself just in time. How did the villain become the hero and the hero become a jackass in his story?


	21. Chapter 21

Apparently, the rumor mill was working extra hard that day since Kurt's protection detail went back to the numbers from on Monday. The most entertaining part was Karofsky sudo attachment to the group. He wasn't exactly hanging out with them but it seemed that whenever Finn tried to get close to Kurt, Karofsky seemed to pop out of no where. The best was right before lunch when Finn had managed to find Kurt without his bodyguards and was seemingly trying to apologize. Karofsky came up behind Finn, smiled at Kurt over Finn's shoulder, and inched closer to the quarterback. Kurt had stopped listening to Finn and waited to see what Karofsky was about to do. Also with the uncured foot-in-mouth disease, it wasn't even worth listening to Finn. When Karofsky was inches away from Finn, he leaned in and moved his mouth close to Finn's ear. "Boo!"

Finn jumped causing Kurt to clutch at his sides as he started to laugh. The look of horror on Finn's face, it was just too good. Kurt tried to say he was sorry between his peals of laughter but it was hard. Finn started to edge away from Karofsky and walked away. Karofsky started to bow left and right causing Kurt to laugh even harder.

Noah looked suspicious as he started to walk up to Kurt and Karofsky. He glared Karofsky. "Hey, what's so funny, princess?"

Kurt put his hand on Noah arm as he tried to straighten up. "Oh, Karofsky just scared the stuffing out of Finn."

Noah shook his head. "I thought you were trying to be friends."

Kurt snorted. "Some friend. He grabbed me this morning when I was trying to walk away from him. When I told him to let go, he tighten his grip. Karofsky only came in to stop him from hurting me."

Noah raised his eyebrow. "That right?"

"Hudson's got a stick up his ass right now. I didn't think that Kurt here wants to get the short end of it." Karofsky said.

Noah glanced at Karofsky then Kurt. "Kurt is it?"

Kurt shrugged. "It's new. He just started. Though it is better than dude." Kurt turned to Karofsky "But I'm not calling you Dave."

Laughing, Karofsky patted Kurt on the back. "I am wearing you down though. I'll see you around." Karofsky took out his phone and started to walk away.

Kurt turned to Noah. "You know I think he might not be a complete dick."

"Maybe but what happened with Finn?" Noah questioned.

Shrugging, Kurt started to walk to the lunch room. "It's was his normal spiel about how he's all manly. The fact that he was scared during the movie and I wasn't got to him."

Noah shook his head. "He's never liked scary movies. Even the Wizard of Oz was too creepy for him to watch."

"I watched that a million times when I was little. After my mom died, I wouldn't sleep unless it was on in the background. I think my dad had to get a DVD player just so he wouldn't have to buy more copies of the movie since I burned through so many copies of the VHS. I was even nicknames Toto because of that movie." Kurt smiled softly. He didn't know what it was in Noah that made him so easy to talk to but he no longer felt worried about telling the bronze teen anything.

A smile that could light up the city came over Noah's face. "So Toto, huh?"

Kurt's eyes widened. "I am not answering to that name. I haven't heard it in a decade."

"But it seems to mean a lot to you." Noah stated. The grin still on face.

Kurt smiled fondly. "It means a time when I was always happy. When I was young and carefree. It's a time that I think about when I need an extra boost in my day."

Noah looked a little sad. "You don't want to bring a little of that happiness here with the name."

Kurt shook his head. "Why corrupt perfection? If someone calls me that name all the time, it would lose it's meaning. I'm sorry, Noah."

Noah smiled softly. "Hey now, there's no reason for you to apologize. There's no bad there. Just I'm just kind of sorry you haven't been happy since you were like five."

"I didn't say I wasn't happy since then. I just said that I was always happy back then. I had my mom and my dad. I didn't have to worry about bullies or some kid being rude. I would just tell my mom and she would make everything better. It was uncomplicated. That doesn't mean I'm not happy now. It's just that I had a perfect life back then." Kurt nudged Noah. "Don't you ever want to go back to a time where you're biggest problem was whether to color the car red or blue?"

Noah stop them just outside of the cafeteria door. "Nah, I still thought kissing was icky back then."

Kurt giggled. "Everything goes back to sex with you."

Noah shook his head. "I just said kissing. You're the one that brought up sex. Who's the pervert now?"

Kurt lightly hit Noah. "Well, it's still your fault."

Noah lean in closer to Kurt. His voice was a little deeper that normal. Kurt was sure it was because Noah looked like he was suppressing a laugh. "How do you figure?"

Kurt smiled. "Easy. It's in the playbook. 'When in doubt, blame Puck.'" Kurt laughed at the shocked look on Noah's face but his attention was taken away from his conversation by Rachel walking behind Noah. Kurt patted Noah on the arm and started to walk away. "Sorry, I have some business to attend to. I'll see you at football practice." Kurt managed to get to Rachel before she sat down. "I need to talk to you for a second."

Rachel looked a little confused but nodded anyway. "Um, sure."

Kurt took Rachel to the girls' bathroom next to the front door and locked the doors. "Okay, so what was going on last night with you and Josh?"

Rachel looked a little shocked by the bluntness. "I don't know what you mean."

"Come on, Berry. I saw you smiling at him while he was walking you to your car. So spill." Kurt demanded. He didn't want to tell her about Josh's attraction incase there was none from Rachel's side. Though it seemed unlikely that there was none from Rachel considering the way she was avoiding Kurt's stare.

Rachel moved the sinks and started to primp herself. "It was nothing. He's just really nice. And he is kind of funny and handsome." She turned to face Kurt. "Would you think I'm shallow if I said I might like him? I know I liked Finn for a very long time but I thought about what you said. I think you were right about him being the ideal that we were trying to strive for and you know me and competition. I have to be number one. I'm not saying Josh is a number two or anything but he's not Finn. Not that I would want Finn after the way he is acting lately. I mean we do good duets together but that does not make us a good couple. Not that I'm saying that Josh and I would make a good couple. I do not want to be bouncing from one jock to another but Josh seems different. He is different, right? Or do you think I'm just settling since Quinn and Finn are probably getting back together even though she is having Puck's baby? I mean how could even I compete with..."

Kurt grabbed by the shoulders Rachel causing her to stop talking. "Rachel, calm down. Breathe. In and out. That's it." Kurt said as he tried to take control of the conversation. "Josh is a good guy. I think you should go for it."

Rachel looked at Kurt oddly for a second before answering back. "Really? But what if it turns out like Finn where I pine after him and he never cares."

"Well," Kurt said pretending to exam his nails "that could happen. I guess you will have to find out Friday if you are free."

Rachel furrowed her eyes as she though. "I am free? What is important about Friday? Do we have a glee meeting that I forgot?"

Kurt looked bored. "Well, duh. The date that Josh is going to ask you on considering he sent me to figure out if you were free."

Rachel was silent for the first time since Kurt had met her. Most of the time when her lips weren't moving it seemed like she was itching to say something but this was not one of those times. When what Kurt said sunk in, Rachel actually squealed and grabbed Kurt in a hug, which Kurt returned as he laughed. "So I'm going to take that as a yes to the date on Friday."

Rachel backed and nodded. "Yes. I will definitely go on a date with him."

"I'm going to go hunt down your man then and give him the good news." Kurt said as he unlock the girls door.

"Hey Kurt," Rachel said causing Kurt to turn and face her. "Thank you."

Kurt smiled back widely at the little brunette. "You're very welcome."

Somehow, Kurt found the restraint not to run to the jock table in the lunch room but when he got there, he almost bounced on his toes when he saw Josh look at him. He slowly moved over to where the caramel colored boy was sitting, knowing that the suspense was probably killing him and leaned over. "I'm here to inform you that you have a date with Ms. Rachel Berry this Friday."

Josh smiled and shot out of his chair to thank Kurt. "That's awesome. Thanks man. Did she say anything else?"

Kurt didn't want to tell Josh too much since he wanted to be fair to both of his friends. "Just that she was interested in you, too."

"What about Hudson?" Josh said a little anxious.

Kurt shrugged. "Like I said before, he's last season. She's ready and willing to more on."

Josh grabbed Kurt in a hug then went over Berry to tell his best friend the news. Kurt smiled widely at the jock's retreating form. Noah stepped in front of him. "You seem to be making all sorts of friends lately."

Kurt turned to Noah not understanding why Noah wasn't smiling along with him. "Josh and Rachel are going on a date on Friday and I helped set it up."

Noah seemed a little relieved by that information. "So they might be a couple by the end of the week. That's awesome."

Kurt nodded vigorously as he saw Rachel sit down at the glee table. "They were cute together last night so when Josh asked me to be his go between I was more than happy to assist." Mercedes was waving to Kurt. Kurt smiled and walked to the glee table as he waved goodbye to Noah. He sat down next to Mercedes and joined in the glee discussion after giving Rachel the nod about the weekend. Noah seemed to be watching him from the jock table. It was nice to have a friend who cared so much.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

Kurt was bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for Noah after football practice. The day had gone well after lunch. Finn was no where to be seen until football practice where most of the guys kept him far away from him. Karofsky even let Finn get tackled a few times before practicing like normal. Noah didn't seem to impressed by what was happening since he finally took Finn aside and told him to sit out the last ten minutes of practice. After a little arguing, Finn listened and watched as Noah took over his position for the rest of the session. Kurt worked with Moser and they were making progress with his kicking. He probably wouldn't be as strong or as accurate of a kicker as Kurt but he would be able to help in a pinch.

Noah walked over to Kurt and threw an arm over him. "Come on, we have to go get the pizza for tonight."

Kurt nodded and moved closer to Noah. The larger boy was more affection than normal today but since Kurt felt so comfortable with Noah he didn't really mind. In fact, he was starting to enjoy it.

"Are you going to hang out after practice today?" Noah let Kurt go when they got to the truck.

Kurt sat in the truck and started to fiddle with his bag. "Yes, I texted my dad about it earlier and he seemed okay about it."

Noah smiled. "Your dad is a pretty cool guy."

"Yeah, he had to be to raise me by himself for so long." Kurt paused for a second. "Do you think you could help me with Finn? I know you aren't as close as you were but I think I was a little mean to him today. I don't want this Finn situation get even worse because his mom is dating my dad. Dad seems happy and I don't want him to feel like I'm acting out against Finn because I miss his attention. Though, I'm not. Well, maybe a little but Finn has been a little more upsetting than he was before."

Noah nodded. "I'll see what I can do but he has it in his head that you hate him."

Kurt paled a little. "I don't hate him, just some of the words that are streaming out of his mouth as of late. I didn't mean to be so horrible to him but he is being a little pushy and I just snapped."

"I'm hanging out with him on Friday so I'll see what I can do. Just steer clear of him a little for the next few days. I'm sure with how much Karofsky freaked him out today that shouldn't be a problem."

Kurt nodded as he turned to look out the window. Noah had pulled into the parking lot of the pizza place and ran in to get the pizza for practice. Kurt knew that he should try to have a good relationship with Finn but it was so hard consider how the other boy was treating him. He hoped Noah would be able to get Finn to understand where he was coming from.

Noah came back and handed the hot boxes to Kurt and started to drive to the club. The smell of the pizza was very alluring to Kurt but he managed to hold out on grabbing a slice until they got to the club. When they got in the door, Kurt let Noah open the door for him.

As they walked in, Jesse was straddling Mac, who had his shirt off. Kurt could see the definition on each of the muscles on his body. Mac was not a lean man like Jesse. He was very muscular. The eight pac that he had and the tone of lats were clear signs of hours in the gym. Mac smiled up at Jesse as he flipped them so Jesse was on bottom. Kurt eyes widened as he saw what looked like scratch marks on the stocky man's back.

Noah put two fingers in his mouth and whistled breaking the stare between Jesse and Mac. "I see you have been fucking in the club again."

Jesse smiled as he ran his hands down Mac's back. "Nope, we had a not so quick quickie at the gym. I got bored of looking at the schedules for next month and Mac gave me something better to concentrate on. By the way dude, start knocking. Kurt's as red as a tomato again."

Mac got off of Jesse and grabbed the pizzas from Kurt. He took them to the table already set up with water and plates. Kurt tried to calm down so the blood would leave his face. His eyes just keep watching Mac's back. It was somewhat surreal knowing that there were two gay men who were out of the closet and open about their relationship. Then again, anyone would have to be a little crazy in order to go up against either Jesse or Mac.

Noah nudged Kurt. "So today since there is food, the kids usually do a little show of what their best move is to get the pizza. Me, Jesse and Mac do it too."

Kurt pouted. "You mean I don't get food? That's not fair."

Noah laughed. "No, it just means that you have to show one of the moves that Mac showed you last week for the cheese covered goodness. I think that move out of the wrist hold would work."

Shrugging, Kurt walked over to where Jesse laid on the floor. "But it's not as impressive as what you guys can do." Kurt offered Jesse a hand who waved it off and did a kick up off the floor without his hands. "Like that."

Jesse did a bow and headed over to the office. He stopped to pick up what looked like two pieces of a shirt and winked at Kurt as he continued. Kurt stared wide eyed at the Jesse then turned to the table where Mac was standing. The brunette was shaking his head at the lover as he started to line up the pizza boxes.

Kurt leaned over to Noah. "Did he rip the shirt off of Mac?"

Sighing, Noah replied. "Yeah, probably and the old bear probably liked it, too. And they probably have raging hard-ons right now, too. And Jesse is probably taking care of a little business right now, too." Noah finished with a wicked grin.

Mac snorted and glared at office door that had been closed. "Not if he knows what's good for him." Mac started to walk to the office as Noah started laughing.

"You go get your man." Noah yelled as Mac went into the office. Mac returned the remark with an evil glare.

Kurt turned back to what was becoming a normal shade of red for him. "I can't believe that I didn't see it before."

Noah shrugged. "It's not like there was a big sign over their heads. They don't really make out or anything right in front of people but they just don't hide it either."

Kurt nodded. "Could you go over that move with me again so I don't completely make a fool out of myself in front of the kids?"

Noah gave Kurt a little shove. "Let's get to it."

Kurt and Noah were able to practice the move a few time before the kids started to show up. The smell of pizza seemed to make them even more excited to be at the club. A few minutes before class started, Jesse and Mac made their appearance with Mac sporting a new shirt and Jesse with a wide smile.

Noah made everyone go through a warm up before letting the kids sit in a circle. Jesse went first. He did a no-handed cartwheel and immediately grabbed his pizza, which he waved in front of Mac. Mac motioned for Kurt to move forward and gentle flipped Kurt onto his back. Noah went to help Kurt and Kurt pulled the jock down on top of him. Noah froze when he fell and Kurt started to laugh at the shock on the other teen's face. "I guess that's a good trick."

Noah got up and seemed to grumble about a teaching Kurt a better trick. Kurt laughed it off as Noah being a little annoyed that he got the better of him. Jesse pulled Kurt up and pushed Kurt to the pizza. "Dude, you're totally driving him crazy. Way a go. A few more days and you'll have him crawling."

Kurt smiled though he didn't really know what Jesse was talking about. "He did seem surprised."

Jesse smiled widely. "More like frustrated but good on you, little one."

Kurt looked at Noah and felt a little worried. He hadn't meant to make the other teen mad at him. A few of the kids had taken their turns and Noah ushered them to the table. The mohawk sporting teen was avoiding looking at Kurt since he had been tricked so Kurt was sure he was upset. As Noah move passed him, Kurt grabbed Noah's arm. "Are we okay?"

Noah looked confused at Kurt. "Yeah, why wouldn't we be?"

"I thought that you were mad at me for tricking you." Kurt said with worry in his voice.

Noah shook his head. "It was a good idea. I was just surprised."

"Are you sure?" Kurt frowned.

Noah smiled. "Don't worry, princess. Your knight's not going to disappear just because you landed him on his ass."

Kurt smiled softly. "Technically, you landed on my front."

Noah closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Thank you for correcting me. I have to get back to the kids."

Kurt nodded and took another piece of pizza. He watched the rest of the class with amusement. Some of the kids were really good while others took their minute to shine and goofed around with their friends. All in all, it was a good night. The practice was finished by Noah flipping Jesse to the entertainment of the kids.

Noah talked to the kids and the parents as Jesse, Kurt and Mac cleaned up the practice area. After all the kids left, Kurt said goodbye to Mac and Jesse and head out with Noah. "Class was fun today."

Noah laughed. "That's because we were eating for most of it. You enjoy anything that has to do with food."

Kurt smiled widely. "For the most part. I once was at this store in Cleveland that..." Kurt and Noah exchanged stories for the rest of the night. The few pauses were when they reached the diner and Noah made them some food to eat as well as stole a couple slices of pie. Kurt found out that Noah was actually a black belt in karate and brown belt in judo. His first kiss was when he was five. When he was eight, he had a sister who he adored and who still could get him to do anything for her. He loved slushies and is sad that so many went to waste at the high school. When Kurt finally got home, the pair sat in Kurt's driveway until his dad finally came out to get his son. Kurt sad goodnight to his friend and went down to his bed. He had a wonderful night's rest.


	22. Chapter 22

Edited by I AM AIR

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Kurt was eagerly waiting for Noah in his driveway the next morning. He had been having such a good time with the mohawk sporting boy and he realized that this was probably why his dad wanted him to have more guy friends. They were much easier to deal with especially since if he didn't feel like being his diva best they wouldn't notice. Well, maybe Noah would but he seemed to like the un-dolled up version of Kurt just as much as the dolled up one. His dad had given Kurt a somewhat surprised look when he saw his son come up without all his makeup done. He had even asked Kurt if he was feeling well but let it go when Kurt said that he just felt like going with the natural look today.

As Noah's truck pulled up, Kurt saw that Finn was also sitting in the car. Kurt's smile dropped a little as he walked up. "Hey, boys."

Noah nudged Finn causing the tall boy to speak. "Hi, Kurt."

Kurt sat on between Finn and the door. He was a little annoyed at the intrusion into his normal morning conversation with Noah. "So, you are here bright and early today Finn. Any particular reason?"

Finn looked at Noah who just motioned for him to continue without a word. Finn took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Kurt waited a beat for Finn to continue but that seemed like all the quarterback was going to say. "About what?"

Finn got a deer in the headlights look in his eyes. "Um... Because I called you a girl, but I didn't really. You misunderstood what I was saying. I meant that you...Oww!" Finn said as he got an elbow to the ribs from Noah. Noah didn't say a word. Finn rubbed his ribs and started again. "I mean I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to and I want to be friends."

Kurt looked at Finn then Noah. Noah didn't seem too happy with what was happening also he didn't seem to want to say anything either. "I want to be friends too. Especially because of my dad and your mom."

Finn seemed to relax a little. "Yeah, I know. They seem to really like each other."

There was an awkward pause as both of the boys tried to find something to say. "Um... you're doing a good job with Moser. He seems like he is really getting his kicking down."

Kurt shrugged. "Yeah, he is doing a lot better now. He just needed to learn how to stretch properly. He should be a great kicker by the end of the season."

"Not as good as you though. That first kick during the game was awesome." Finn smiled widely.

Noah snorted but didn't say anything else.

Kurt smiled softly. "Um...Thanks. My dad liked the game so I was happy."

Nodding vigorously, Finn replied. "Your dad is really awesome. I mean he knows this stuff about football from a long time ago. He even went over some of the plays that he did when he was the QB with me. Some of them were really good."

Kurt smiled tightly. "Yeah, he sure does." He looked out the window hoping Finn would shut up. He didn't need to know about how Finn's and his dad's relationship was blooming while he seemed to be losing most of the time he spent with his dad.

When they reached the school, Kurt was actually happy to see Karofsky since it meant that he could get out of the truck with Finn. Kurt glanced at Finn and Noah. Finn had turned a little green at seeing the oversized teenager while Noah just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Princess, it looks like more baked goods are in your future."

Kurt laughed. "I still have the ones from yesterday in my bag. I was hoping to use them as bribes for the guys if needed."

Finn's interest was piqued as they got out of the truck. "What do you have?"

Kurt opened his bag and grabbed some of the packaged pastries. "Here you go, all yours. I'll see you in class." He then walked past Finn and over to Karofsky noting that Noah was just a step behind him. "Good morning, Karofsky."

Karofsky nodded his head at the pair. "I didn't really have the time or money to get you a bunch of stuff so here." Karofsky handed Kurt a bag of Kisses.

Kurt giggled. "If I didn't know you had a boyfriend, I'd think you were hitting on me."

Noah seemed to growl at that statement though Kurt didn't know why. He seemed fine with Jesse and Mac being together.

Karofsky pushed Kurt in a way that was probably playfully but Kurt took a step back from the force. "No way. I like my men with a little more meat on their bones."

Kurt opened the bag and immediately handed one to Noah. "Kiss."

Noah looked a little gob-stopped as his jaw dropped a little before he spoke with a voice more husky than normal. "Sure."

Karofsky looked from Kurt to Noah then again to Kurt and started to smile. "So that's how..." He was interrupted by Noah hitting him hard on the shoulder. "Oww... What the hell, dude?"

Kurt looked at the pair confused. "Why did you hit Karofsky?"

Noah shrugged as he glared at larger teen. "No reason."

Kurt turned and started to walk to the school. "You really should control your temper."

Kurt heard Karofsky and Noah speaking softly behind him as they entered the school. By the time they reached Kurt's locker, the larger two boys seemed to come to an understand. Karofsky leaned against the lockers and Noah stood behind Kurt as the smaller boy got his materials for class. "So, my brother's starting physical therapy tomorrow and I'm going to be there to help."

"And?" Kurt questioned as he shut his locker.

"And," Karofsky continued. "I wanted to make sure we were still on for Saturday."

Kurt glanced back to Noah and shrugged. "As long as Noah is coming I'm fine."

Karofsky looked like he was trying not to laugh. "I'm sure Noah's fine with whatever you want to do."

Noah pushed Karofsky hard into the lockers. "Can it, Karofsky or we'll see if you still have a boyfriend with your face being black and blue."

Kurt got the middle of the boys and pushed them apart. "Guys, cut it out. Try to act civilized."

Noah snorted and started to walk away from both of them. "Whatever. I'll see you later."

Kurt sighed. He really didn't know what was up with Noah this morning. He seemed to be in a bad mood ever since he picked Kurt up. Kurt turned to Karofsky. "So you were saying about Saturday?"

"There's a diner near the hospital. It isn't the best but I don't want to be too far from my brother if I can help it." Karofsky answered.

Kurt nodded. "Sounds good. You're talking about Little Hat's, right?"

"Yup, about 10ish sound good?" Karofsky replied.

Kurt nodded again. "Sure, I'll tell Noah what's up. I hope your brother feels better."

Karofsky placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Thanks Hummel. You've been a much better person than I would be in your shoes."

Giggling, Kurt replied. "I would pay to see you in my heels. I'm going to go find Noah."

Though Kurt tried to find Noah all day, the very recognizable teen was nowhere in sight until glee where he walked in late. The only reason why Kurt didn't feel like he was the cause of Noah's ire was Noah taking the seat next to him instead of the one across the room next to Brit.

Kurt moved his chair closer to Noah and nudged the other boy with his knee. A few seconds later, Noah pushed back against his knee with a smile on his face. This caused Kurt to push back harder with his knee, which in turn caused Noah to payback the deed until the pair were laughing and seemingly trying to push each off their chairs.

This continued until they heard Mr. Schu call out their names. They looked at the front of the class room to see Mr. Schu and Finn standing there watching them with confused looks.

"Do I need to separate you boys?" They both shook their heads and moved to relax into their chairs smiling at each other. As they got situated, Mr. Schu called for the attention of the room. "Okay, guys before we finish off the songs for the Secret Santa, Finn and I have some announcements. Finn will be going first. Finn."

Finn moved forward as Mr. Schu leaned against the piano. "Hey, I'm going to be working at Kurt's Dad's place from now on, on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school."

Rachel responded immediately. "Does that mean that you won't be in glee anymore?"

Kurt was worried about her response considering she had a date with one of his other friends the next night.

Finn shrugged. "I don't know. I'm supposed to be there as soon as school ends."

Mr Schu folded his arms and sighed. "I don't know. You are a good singer..."

Rachel interrupted. "It's fine that he's a good singer but we are trying to work on sectionals for next year. That means that we have to be able to work with each other. If Finn isn't here, that means he can't harmonize with the rest of us."

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. Rachel was looking out for glee and wasn't backing up Finn for once. Maybe she was ready to move on.

Mr. Schu nodded as Rachel spoke. "I have to say that I agree with Rachel. Part of glee is being able to work with others even if we don't always get along. I don't know if you can be a part of glee if you won't be at the practices."

Upset, Finn looked to Mr. Schu for help. "But what if I can get someone to coach me through what we did in glee?"

The glee teacher thought about the suggestion before looking at the rest of the group. "If someone was willing to help you out, then I could allow you to continue."

Kurt wanted to protest. It seemed like Finn everything always got away with everything. If it had been anyone else had needed to do that, they would have been dropped from glee.

Finn looked at the group. "Quinn?"

Quinn looked a little worried as she answered. "I would but with the baby I haven't been able to keep up with the dance moves and I don't really have the energy to do much outside of school. I'm sorry."

"That's okay. I understand." Finn turned to Rachel. "Rachel?"

Kurt winced. If there was ever a moment where you cringed for the people involved it was now. Rachel was publicly announced as Finn's second choice. Kurt was just happy that there might be a different Prince Charming in her future to give her some strength.

Rachel's features were unmoved as she spoke. "I'm sorry but I have other plans." Rachel turned to Mr. Schu. "I don't think it's fair that we have to show up to all of the practices in order to keep our positions while Finn is going to stay lead male. There are plenty of good male singers in the group. Puck could easily take over Finn's parts and from last week, we know that Matt can sing, too."

Wow, that was an evil move but Kurt was silently applauding her in his head. It wasn't fair but that never seemed to be a part of how the world worked before so why should it now?

Sighing, Mr. Schu answered. "We will see what happens when we assign parts next time." He looked at Finn. "I can't promise to hold a spot for you since you won't be at practice."

Finn frowned at that announcement. "I understand." He looked almost pitiful as he stood there.

Kurt was surprised when he heard Noah call out. "Me and Kurt will help Finn out."

"We will?" Kurt said as he looked at Noah who nodded. Kurt sighed. "I guess we will."

Finn smiled widely. "Thanks guys. I owe you guys."

Mike yelled out. "Just feed Kurt. He's probably taking a bite out of Puck's money."

Noah laughed. "The little black hole is making a dent in my fun funds." He smiled at Kurt and nudged Kurt until he smiled at the joke as well. He leaned closer to Kurt. "Think of this as payback for Karofsky this weekend."

"But that's only one day." Kurt whined back.

Noah draped his arm over the back of Kurt's chair to pull it closer to him. "Yeah but you want to be friends with Finn."

Kurt sighed. He knew Noah had won this round. Finn had sat down by the time Kurt had turned back to the front of the class. The QB seemed happy about what had transpired.

Mr. Schu cleared his throat. "Okay, now I have some announcements before I let the rest of the group sing their partner songs. First of all, good job to last weeks singers. I was very impressed by what I heard. Second, I want to announce that I will be starting try outs for next year's sectionals in the next few weeks. I know that it is a long time in the future but I think with how dedicated most of you are to this group, it won't be a problem." Rachel opened her mouth. "Wait until I'm finished Rachel. Lastly, I want to have an open concert for your parents so they can see how well you are doing at the end of the year. Now, you may speak Rachel."

Rachel obeyed the command. "I think it is an excellent idea to start tryouts this early. This way we can work our selections for much longer than the other groups. By the time sectionals come around, we will be ready. But I think they shouldn't be set in stone considering some people might drop out in our time of need." She finished looking directly at Finn.

"Your points are noted, Rachel." He clapped his hands together. "Okay, now back to our partner songs. Who wants to go first?"

Rachel eagerly shot up. "I'll go. Since my music did not work last week, I changed my song but I think it will work well."

Mr. Schu nodded. "I'm sure it will be fine."

Rachel turned to the group and smiled. Then she started to sing her powerful piece.

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see..."

Rachel sang the piece beautifully and though it was for someone else in the group, the fact that Rachel was able to push her voice hard enough to hit some of the more difficult notes allowed it to be just showboaty enough to be a perfect song for Rachel. Kurt was also sure he knew who the song was for.

When Rachel sat down, Mr. Schu got up and asked who they thought it was for.

Kurt eagerly answered. "It's for my girl Mercedes."

Noah leaned close to Kurt. "So gay."

"Just a little." Kurt replied smiling.

Rachel nodded to Kurt's answer of Mercedes. The curvaceous girl smiled widely at Rachel and thanked her. It was one of Mercedes' favorite hymns. Mercedes decided to get up next and smiled at Kurt. She started singing softly, "I'm as meek and mild a mouse..."

Kurt smiled and mouthed the words with his friend. He knew that she wasn't singing Rogers and Hammerstein's "In My Own Little Corner" for him but he had seen the movie a million times. No, not the horrible version with Brandy where the prince has a black mom and a white dad and comes out Chinese. No, the wonderful black and white version with Julie Andrews. That woman was amazing.

When Mr. Schu asked his question, Tina shyly raised her hand. The song was perfect for the shy Asian girl who seemed to like blending into the wall more than anything. As Mercedes sat down, she pulled Tina up and pushed her to the center of the room. Kurt crept forward in his chair. Tina had a beautiful voice when she chose to use it so he was excited to hear his friend sing. Tina made her way to the stereo system and put in CD.

The unmistakable beat of "Imma Be" by the Black Eyed Peas came over the system. Mike and Matt immediately got up and started to dance with Tina who started to dance as she waited for the lyrics to start. She sang all of the lyrics minus the "Imma Be" back beat. The song worked well with her dancing abilities but everyone knew she could have chosen a song much harder to sing. Much like when Matt sang last week, by the end of the song every one was on their feet dancing by the end of the song.

When they all sat down, Mr Schu asked who the song was for and Tina pointed to Matt, who grinned at the Asian girl. Before Mr. Schu could ask who was next, Brit started to sing,

"I could stay awake just to hear you breathing,

Watch your smile while you are sleeping,

While you're far away and dreaming.

I could spend my life in this sweet surrender

I could stay lost in the moment forever

Where every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure."

Brit didn't even try to hide who she was singing for as the words of Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna to Miss a Thing" flowed out of her mouth. She had turned to face Santana as soon as the first line was sung. She pulled Santana's hand onto her lap as she finished the last line. Unlike the original song, Brit did not vocalize the chorus any louder than the rest of the song. If anything, she started to sing softer as if the other people in the room had disappeared. She started to caress Santana's arm in the middle of the chorus as Santana smiled brightly at her.

"I don't want to close my eyes,

I don't want to fall asleep

Because I would miss you babe

And I don't wanna miss a thing.

'Cause even when I dream of you

The sweetest dream will never do

I'd still miss you, babe

And I don't wanna miss a thing"

Santana pulled Brit into her lap much to the amusement of the other girl who simply smiled as she continued singing. When she sang about the different parts of Santana's body, she gently put her hands over them causing the usually stoic girl to giggle.

"Lying close to you

Feeling your heart beating

And I'm wondering what you're dreaming

Wondering if it's me you're seeing

Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together

And I just wanna stay with you

In this moment forever, forever and ever"

As the chorus came up again, Brit laid her head against the top of Santana's and brought the girl's head closer to her heart. She shut her eyes as she continued to sing.

"I don't wanna close my eyes

I don't wanna fall asleep

'Cause I'd miss you, babe

And I don't wanna miss a thing

'Cause even when I dream of you

The sweetest dream will never do

I'd still miss you, babe

And I don't wanna miss a thing"

When the next lines came up, Brit acted them out. As she sung, "I don't wanna miss one smile" she touched the corners of Santana's mouth. "I don't wanna miss one kiss" was punctuated by a chaste kiss. She continued to sing,

"Well, I just wanna be with you

Right here with you, just like this

I just wanna hold you close

Feel your heart so close to mine

And stay here in this moment

For all the rest of time"

Her last two lines were sung so softly they were barely audible. Then she stopped singing and kissed Santana, relaxing completely against the other cheerleader in contentment.

It took a few seconds for the others in glee to realize she had finished singing but there was no doubt who her song was for. Kurt was a little teary after the lovely piece was sung. It was as if Brit had let the rest of glee into her heart and showed her love of Santana for everyone to view. It was amazing.

"I guess I don't have to ask who that was for. That was beautiful Brittney. Thank you. Who wants to go next? Mike?" Mr. Schu motioned the glock forward.

Mike got up and moved to the stereo to plug in his music. As soon as the music came on, Artie started to sway in his seat and mouth the lyrics of "Big Pimpin'" by Jay-Z with Mike. The dancer did an okay job of rapping the lyrics to the song but there where parts where he slipped here and there. It was no big deal since everyone was enjoying the song that was released when they were in elementary school. It was funny to hear the old song sung but most of glee knew that the classic was one of Artie's favorite. Everyone was able to answer Mr. Schu asked who the song was for.

Since Santana seemed unwilling to move from her spot, Quinn got up to sing. Kurt and Rachel were the only two people left to hear their songs so this could be very uncomfortable for someone.

"Your pedestal is falling down, falling down, falling down

Your pedestal is falling down, falling down, falling down, da da da da da da"

Kurt looked at Rachel. There was only one person Quinn would sing Fergie's "Pedestal" and it wasn't him. He felt bad for Rachel as she tried to take in the harsh feeling behind the song and not react. She seemed to do a good job. Her face was a mask of indifference. There was no emotion in or out. At the end of the song, however, Quinn did not wait for Mr. Schu to speak and walked up to Rachel. Kurt took a deep breath as he wait for the destruction to begin.

Quinn stood in front of the brunette for second before speaking. "I picked the song because honestly we've been competing for everything. I don't want to watch my back or claw my way back up anymore but I don't know how to stop it either. I think we are both better than this. I can't handle the stress of us being so catty to each other on top of the baby so can we bury the hatchet?"

Rachel's indifference turned one of relief. "I'd like that."

Quinn nodded and moved back to her seat. Kurt relaxed. Maybe his little rant was doing more good than he thought. If the two girls could get along, that would help ease the tension.

Mr. Schu moved to the centre of the room. "So by process of elimination, that leaves Santana singing to Kurt."

Santana nodded as she gently pushed Brit off her lap. She moved to the stereo and turned on her music. She walked up to Kurt as she started to sing. The lyrics were not exactly that same as James Blunt's version of "Shine on" but then again Santana was using it for a different reason. She pulled him out of his chair and coaxed him to slow dance with her. As she sang "the same old lies," she acted as if she was being forced to almost kiss Kurt but then pulled away as she said "but I'll sing."

"Are they calling for our first dance?

I see it in your eyes. In your eyes.

Same old moves for a new romance.

I could use the same old lies, but I'll sing,"

She spun away from Kurt and walked back to Kurt smiling. The way she was singing it seemed like she was saying screw them as much as shine on. The message was clear to Kurt. To get back at everyone who was saying he was wrong, he should just be as happy as he could be. The best revenge would be his happiness without worrying about what everyone else thought. Santana touched Kurt's face as she sang about his smile and pulled the taller boy to look in her eyes as she sang the next line.

"Shine on, just, shine on!

Close your eyes and they'll all be gone.

They can scream and shout that they've been let down,

But it paid for the cloud that we're dancing on.

So shine on. Just shine on!

With your smile just as bright as the sun.

'Cause they're all just slaves to the gods they made

But you and I just shone.

Just shone."

Santana moved away from Kurt and to Brit. Kurt watched as Brittney smiled brightly as Santana.

"And when silence greets my last goodbye,

The words I need are in your eyes, and I'll sing."

Santana hugged Brit as she sang the chorus but was looking at Kurt the whole time.

"Shine On, just, shine on!

Close your eyes and they'll all be gone.

They can scream and shout that they've been let down,

But it paid for the cloud that we're dancing on.

So shine on. Just shine on!

With your smile just as bright as the sun.

'Cause they're all just slaves to the gods they made,

But you and I just shone.

Just shone."

She pulled Brittney to the front of the room as she sang the chorus again. She had wrapped herself around Kurt by the time she finished singing with Brit dancing around them. When the song ended, Kurt tightened his hold on the brunette Cheerio. "That was... I don't even know the words. Thank you."

Santana looked at Kurt. "You are strong enough to be out of the closet in high school in a small Podunk town. You should be proud of who you are because you might not realize it but you give others the strength to take a chance too. If someone doesn't get that, screw them."

Mr. Schu came and clapped him both on the shoulder. "That was great. I guess that's it for glee this week. Think about what song you want to do for tryouts."

Santana let go of Kurt and walked to her bag. Kurt turned to get his to find Noah standing behind him holding his satchel. He took the bag from Noah with a smile. "Thanks."

Noah didn't say anything as they walked to the car. Kurt sighed. Maybe he had done something wrong. Noah did seem upset with him. As they started the journey in the truck, Kurt finally mustered up the courage to ask. His voice was soft with worry. "Are you mad at me? Did I do something?"

Noah looked at him with shock. "What? Why would I be mad at you?"

Kurt started to play with his bag strap. "You haven't said more than a few words to me all day and you were avoiding me between classes. When I asked the guys, they didn't seem to know what was up either."

Noah groaned. "You asked the guys?"

Kurt was a little annoyed. "So what? I didn't know what I did so I wanted to know if anyone else knew what was going on."

"Nothing is going on. I had a rough night's sleep then Finn woke me up at the ass-crack of dawn to talk this morning. I spent most of the day sleeping in the nurse's office." Noah said with a level voice.

Kurt realized that there was more going on than the other teen was telling him. "What else? You're hiding something. I thought you trusted me."

"For the love of... I'm not hiding anything." Noah said a little grumpy.

Kurt continued the subject. "But you've been out of sorts all day."

Noah sighed. "I'm working some stuff out. I need to do something and it's a lot trickier than I thought."

Kurt looked a little worried. "It's nothing bad, is it? You're not sick or anything."

Noah shook his head. "I'm fine, princess. I just need some time in my own head to so things work out perfectly."

"Oh" Kurt felt horrible. He had been taking up a lot of Noah's time lately especially considering the teen was driving him back and forth from school. "I could get someone else to pick me up if you want. And you don't have to come on Saturday."

Noah frowned. "Hey, none of that. I didn't say that I wanted to spend less time with you. I just have a lot going on and you don't take up anytime that I don't let you. I could have called any of the guys to come pick you up but I like our time together."

Kurt smiled shyly. "Me, too. I was kind of upset when I saw Finn in the truck with you."

Noah laughed. "And he didn't even wake you up at five in the morning. You would think after all these years he would realize that mornings are just something I don't do." He looked seriously at Kurt. "He felt like a huge dick about what happened yesterday so he wanted me to help him out. As usual, I let the goofball in and sorted out his issues for him. It was either that or throw him out a window."

"I could see a downside to that." Kurt giggled. "Thanks, though. I know I asked you to help with Finn too."

Noah smiled as he pulled into the driveway. "It's no problem."

Kurt put a hand on Noah's arm stopping the Mohawk-teen from leaving the cab. "If you need any help with what's going on..."

Noah's smile widened. "I know I can count on you, princess. Don't worry so much. I'll be fine."

Kurt got out of the cab and walked with Noah to his door. "So are we still on for Saturday?"

Noah shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do."

Rolling his eyes, Kurt opened the door. "Don't be too excited about spending time with me."

Noah grabbed the smaller teen and pulled him snug to his body. "It's not you I'm objecting to. I just don't see much entertainment in seeing Karofsky and his boytoy. That's it."

Kurt leaned back slightly enjoying the feel of the hard body behind him. "I don't know. You seemed to be getting pretty close to Karofsky this morning." He joked but didn't break away from Noah.

Noah somehow got closer to Kurt. "Closer than I am to you, now?"

Before Kurt could answer, he heard a throat being cleared. Kurt looked straight ahead to see his dad standing in a few feet front of him looking none too please. "Afternoon, boys."

Noah seemed to disappear from behind Kurt and walked past Burt. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hummel. I'm just going to go set up for the study session." He was out of sight as the last words were uttered.

Burt's eyes never left Kurt. "You do that. Kurt, why don't we have a little talk?"

"Sure, dad, but can we talk in the kitchen? I haven't eaten since lunch and that was hours ago." Kurt said as walked past his dad.

Burt shook his head in wonder. "It's a miracle that we even have a roof over our head considering how much you eat." Not that Burt had any reason to complain since he had been as bad as his son when he was younger and so had Kurt's mom. Really, he should have seen that his son would be able to put away monstrous amounts of food in one sitting considering both parents seemed to have given him the black hole stomach gene.

As Kurt pulled out some food for his dad and himself, he said, "So what's up?"

Burt sighed. "Kurt, I just thought that once you got a boyfriend you would at least tell me. I mean I've been trying hard to work on..."

Kurt interrupted with a sputter. "B..b..boyfriend?" Kurt squeaked. "I don't have a boyfriend. Who do you think is my boyfriend?"

Burt frowned in confusion. "That kid Puck that was hanging on you a few minutes ago."

Kurt's eyes widened. "Noah? Noah is probably the straightest guy I know."

"But he was hugging you..." Burt said.

Kurt shook his head. "No, he was mocking me because I made fun of how close he got to the other gay kid in our school."

Burt looked at Kurt confused. "There's another gay kid? Are you dating him?"

"As if I would touch him with a ten foot pole. He's still in the closet but amazingly also has a boyfriend. Go figure. I'm out and proud and he has a boyfriend. Seems somewhat serious, too." Kurt started to eat the sandwich he made for himself. "I'm meeting him this weekend."

Burt looked worried. "I don't want you doing out by yourself."

Kurt smiled. "Don't worry dad. Noah's coming with me."

This only confused Burt more. "Wait, Mohawk is coming with you to meet up with the gay kid and his boyfriend but the two of you are just friends."

Kurt had an exasperated tone when he spoke. "Yes, dad. We are just friends. Even if I wanted him, he is the straightest person ever."

Burt still looked confused but sighed in relief. "Good. If you not dating someone is this complicated, I don't know if I could take you actually dating someone."

Kurt was a little hurt by his dad's comment. "Thanks dad." He said sarcastically. He knew it was hard on his dad having a gay son but he had hoped that his dad was getting used to the idea. Seriously, his dad said he had know since Kurt was three. Wasn't that enough time?

"I didn't mean it like that." Burt said as he noticed his son getting upset. "It's just that I've been taking care of you from the second that you were born. I'm always going to want you to be safe and most high school guys are not great people. All they think about is getting laid and getting laid." Burt walked over to his son. "I think you deserve better than some a-hole that's just trying to score. I don't want you to get hurt."

Kurt smiled. "Dad, I'm going to have to spread my wings sometime."

Burt sighed. "I know. I was just hoping that I would get some more time to adjust."

Kurt crossed his arms. "How much time?"

Burt played with his son's hair earning him a dirty look as he walked out of the room. "Just a little. I think I'll be adjusted by the time you're say 30 or maybe 40."

Kurt squeaked. "That's more than ten to twenty years from now."

Burt paused. "You're right. Make that 50. I should be ready for you to date by then."

Kurt started to laugh. "Just for that, I'm going to elope when I'm twenty."

Kurt's response was answered by bellowing laughter from his dad. Kurt finished his sandwich and grabbed the one his dad had not eaten as he walked down to his room. Noah had, again, moved the furniture around to accommodate the extra people coming. Kurt smiled widely at Noah.

Noah looked up as Kurt hit the last step. "So how was your talk with your dad?"

Kurt giggled and stepped closer to Noah handing him the extra sandwich. "My dad was grilling me about you being my boyfriend. Isn't that funny?"

Noah gave Kurt a weird look as he bit into the sandwich. "Funny, right. Princess, I wanted..."

Whatever Noah was about to say was interrupted by a very worried Josh almost running down the stair. "Lit' kick, you have to help me." He quickly walked over to Kurt.

Kurt looked worried at Josh. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"The date with Rachel is getting to him." Berry said as he meandered down the stairs. "You would think that he's never been on a date before."

"It's not." Josh glared at Berry before turning back to Kurt. "It's just the girls I normally go out with aren't as high society as Rachel. She sings and dances and goes to plays. I don't really do any of that stuff."

Kurt sat down and motioned the other boys to do the same. "Rachel is just like every other girl or person for that matter. When she is on a date, she just wants to feel important. Don't worry about it everything else."

Josh nodded. "But if she starts talking about music, she's going to lose me if she doesn't talk about stuff on the radio. And even then, I don't really remember any of the names. If I like the beat, I dance to it. If not, then..." Josh shrugs.

Kurt smiled. "That's not the important stuff. Ask her about her dads or her first time on stage. Ask her about her life not about what she likes. Also don't let her talk the whole time. When she gets nervous, she can't stop talking so it just get worse and worse."

Josh nodded. "Umm... This might sound weird but is she going to care about what I wear?"

Rolling his eyes, Kurt answered. "It depends on what you wear."

Noah interrupted. "Don't wear what you wear to school tomorrow. Change into anything else. Makes a girl feel special."

Kurt nodded. "I'm sure that she is probably freaking out right now too if that makes you feel better."

"A little." Josh answered. "Could we just keep this between the four of us?"

Noah smirked. "Sure, but which four are you talking about?"

A chorus of hellos came from the stairs. Josh buried his face in his hands. "Please, kill me now."

Jason came up behind Josh and put him in a loose headlock. "But pokkie, won't that mean you would leave Rachel all by herself? And the girl is fine."

Josh pushed Jason hard. "Forget about it, Anderson."

Noah's phone started to ring. He picked up the phone as he waved to the guys coming in. Kurt watched his friend smile widely before frowning deeply. Kurt pushed his hearing so he could eavesdrop. "Okay, Buttercup. I'll be right there."

Kurt turned back to the crowd as Noah came up next to him. "Hey, princess. I've got to split. Something came up."

"Everything okay?" Kurt wondered if this was what Noah was worried about.

Noah smiled fondly. "Everything's fine. Just have someone missing me right now."

Kurt nodded. "See you tomorrow?"

"Of course." Noah nodded goodbye to the rest of the group and left.

Berry took Noah's usual spot next to Kurt. "I need help on my Spanish again."

Azimio answered from his normal spot. "I could help with that if Kurt needs to study for that Math exam tomorrow."

Berry smiled widely. "Thanks man. Um... Kurt do you need help? I've got the Math down."

Kurt shook his head. "No thanks. I was hoping to work on Science tonight."

Most of the room agreed so Kurt took over and started to go over the material for the Science test tomorrow as he wondered why Noah never mentioned Buttercup to him.


	23. Chapter 23

Edited by I AM AIR

* * *

Kurt fell asleep quickly after the study session the night before. He had not only finished his work for the night, but also had a head start on the next week's work. As Josh had left that night, he told the jock to could call him if needed. Josh had smiled at the comment and thanked him. The last thing Kurt did before he went to sleep was grab another drumstick to munch on as he did his nightly facial regiment.

He woke up to his dad gently shaking him. It was odd, since his dad knew how horrible Kurt was first thing in the morning. Kurt glared at his dad as he got up. "Dad, it's morning."

"I know but I need to talk to you before you go to school so get up and meet me in the kitchen." Burt said as he walked to the stairs.

Kurt pulled his blanket over his head. "If I say I'm not dating any of the guys here last night, can I go back to sleep?"

Burt laughed. "Nope, but nice try. Get up."

Kurt reluctantly got out of bed and got ready for school. When he finished, he walked up to the kitchen and smelt bacon frying. He sat at his normal spot and glared at his dad. "You know. Food won't always work."

Burt laughed as he put some scrambled eggs and bacon on a plate for Kurt. "When there comes a day that happens, I'll find something else."

Kurt grumbled around his bacon, which was perfectly crispy. "So what is important enough to interrupt my beauty sleep?"

Burt lost his good humor and moved closer to Kurt. "It's two things actually. Officer Willis called last night, while the boys were over, and told me that they caught Thomas Karofsky. He was at a bar gloating about what had happened and someone overheard. The only problem is that he swears there was someone else with him. So just because the police caught him doesn't mean that you're safe."

Kurt froze as his dad spoke. He had felt safe for a few seconds before his dad had mentioned an accomplice. It did mean that Karofsky didn't have to worry about his dad anymore. That was good news since he had started to warm up to the large jock. "At least, they caught one of the guys."

Burt nodded. "Yeah, but it means I still want you with one of the boys when you are out of the house. At least, we knew what Karofsky looked like. We don't know who this other guy is yet. So be careful."

Kurt nodded and pushed his eggs around the plate. "Thanks for telling me dad."

Burt sighed. "That's not all." He put a hand on the back of Kurt's neck. "I have to go out of town later today and I probably won't be home until Sunday."

Kurt's head snapped up. "What? When did this happen?"

Burt let go of Kurt and sat down. "I've been trying to push stuff around all week but the contracts for our parts dealers are expiring soon and this is the only time they say they can see me. I've tried to push them back for a few weeks but only two of them are willing, and they're the smaller dealers who only really work with specialty parts. The main guys are being pains in the..." Burt looked at Kurt for a second. "Well, you know what, so I have to go out there for just a few days."

Kurt frowned. Those meetings were usually long and tedious. He had begged to stay home from the meetings for years now, but he also didn't want to stay at the house by himself right now. "I could come with you if you want."

Burt half smiled. "You would go crazy after the lawyers started up. I wouldn't be going if I could find someone to pretend to be me for the next few days. The only excitement is one of the dealers seems to have new software to make the checks on the new models easier. Plus, you have that thing with the other gay kid in your school. It should be nice to know you're not alone."

Kurt suppressed laughing at the word nice and Karofsky anywhere near each other. The linebacker had only moved from intolerable to bearable as of late. Nice was a long ways away. "I guess so."

Burt smiled. "I half thought about taking Finn, but I didn't want to torture the kid."

Kurt frowned. His dad had wanted to take Finn on a car weekend? He felt even more upset. It didn't matter that Finn wasn't going, the important part was that his dad was going to take Finn instead of him. Sure, he didn't want to go and sure, after one day of being locked in the room with the lawyers, he'd try to find a way to escape but it still wasn't fair. Kurt heard knocking and grabbed his things. "Are you going to be here when I get back?"

Burt shrugged, "That depends on how traffic looks."

Kurt nodded and started to walk to the door. "Okay. I'll see you later. If I don't see you tonight, have a good weekend."

Burt snorted, "Like there is chance of that happening." He put a hand on Kurt's shoulder as the boy put on his shoes near the door. "You stay safe. I'm already going to be worried as it is. I don't need you to take unnecessary risks just to get me more grey hairs, okay? Try to get someone to stay with you."

Kurt nodded as he heard the knocking again. "I've got to go." Burt opened the door for Kurt. Kurt was slightly annoyed to see Berry standing there grinning. Kurt walked out the door with Berry following him. "Where is Noah?"

Berry shrugged as the pair moved to his car that seemed already pack with three other jocks. "I don't really know. I just got a text from him saying to pick you up."

Of course, Noah would have chosen this morning out of all mornings to not pick him up. Moreover, yesterday Finn had ruined his morning ride. If he wasn't trying to be an adult about everything, this would have been a perfect time to throw a tantrum. "Is he coming to school today?"

Berry stood next to the driver's side. "Don't know. He just said go pick up Kurt so I came to get you." Berry opened his door and sat down.

Kurt sighed and tried to figure out where to sit. Josh had shot gun but Simmons and Michaels took up most of the back seat since Berry's car was just a regular family sedan. He opened the back door and motioned Simmons over. The jock smiled and moved to the middle.

As soon as he sat down, Kurt took out his phone and texted Noah. "Where are you? Is everything okay? Do you need anything? Are you coming to school later?"

The boys were teasing Josh about his upcoming date, but Kurt was too upset to concentrate on the usual back and forth. With the conversation he had just had with his dad, he really wanted someone he could vent to. Okay, so he really only vented to Mercedes. But, the teasing nature of his and Noah's relationship allowed him to at least de-stress. Maybe he needed a venting night?

He had gone back on his promise to the girls of manicure morning because of what happened with his car. It was totally understandable, but at the same time he missed being able to hang out with his girls. The fact that he knew that Noah already had plans also didn't help the issue either. Maybe he would just invite all of the glee girls over. They hadn't really bonded in a while and he was sure that Mercedes won't mind having a few more people to bitch with.

A buzz from Kurt's phone interrupted his thoughts. He looked down to see a message from Noah. " home. Yes. No. Yes." Kurt glared at the message. That didn't tell him anything at all. As if knowing that Kurt was upset, the phone buzzed with another message. "Haha. Don't worry so much princess. I'll see you later."

Kurt could almost see Noah laughing at him as he typed the text. Kurt took the phone and put it in his pocket. He knew he shouldn't be so upset with Noah about not picking him up, but it did bother him. He sighed and started to listen to the conversation of the others in the car.

"No, you should totally take her to the Red Lobster. She seems like she would like sea food." Simmons said.

Josh glared at the other boy. "What's that supposed to mean? Anyway what if she is allergic to seafood? Then what am I supposed to do?"

Michaels answered. "Take her to McD's. Everyone likes something there. Even if she likes rabbit food, they now have salads."

Kurt realized that he should have been listening to what the boys were talking about way before now. He had to do damage control before Josh got too freaked out and listened to the horrible advice his friends were giving him. It was a wonder that Simmons had a girlfriend. "Take her to Barb's or maybe Little Italy. Though, I honestly think she would like Barb's more."

Josh turned around to look at Kurt. "Are you sure she would like someplace like Barb's?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "She has lived here all her life. Everyone in Lima loves Barb's. Plus, you honestly can't have a better desert with dinner in town than at Barb's. Desert is a must on a first date."

Simmons nodded. "Girls do like the splitting cake thing at the end of dinner. It makes them happy because they feel like they get something special. Girls like feeling special."

"Everyone likes feeling special but I know that she likes the chocolate cake at Barb's." Kurt said.

They pulled into the school parking lot and Kurt started to look for Noah's truck as he moved towards the school. He didn't see it as he slowly walked into the school. He saw that Rachel was waiting for him at his locker. He looked at the straight posture with the fidgeting toes and knew why the highly-strung girl was waiting for him. Rachel saw him and seemed to relax a little as he walked closer. "I don't know if I can do this. I've never..."

Kurt cut her off. "Let's move this to somewhere a little more private." He put his jacket in his locker and grabbed his books, while Rachel looked like she was about to explode. Kurt then took his friend to his normal bathroom for discussions which was a girls bathroom on the other side of the school. After he closed the door to the bathroom, Kurt turned to look at Rachel. The always frantic girl had an edge of uneasiness to her. It was interesting to see her so nervous in front of Kurt considering that she had stood in front of hundreds of people without so much as a twitch. "I'm sorry that I dragged you in here, but if Josh hears you freak out, he'll freak out even more."

"Wait, if he's already that freaked out maybe we shouldn't do this." Rachel frowned.

Kurt shook his head. "No, he is just worried about impressing you. He is even asking the other boys for advice...If anything odd happens or Josh acts out of the norm for him, feel free to blame Simmons or Michaels. Actually, it could be anyone on the football team."

Rachel sighed. "I don't know if I can do this. I've never really been on a date before. What if I have nothing to talk about? What if he finds me boring? I should call this off. That way there won't be anything to worry about."

"I thought that you liked him." Kurt moved from the door to right in front of Rachel. "If you like him even a little, you should check out where this is going. Josh really does like you, so I think it would be harsh to disappoint him."

Rachel started to pace the small bathroom. "But he's nothing like me."

"That's why it would work so well. Opposites attract." Kurt said as he tried to calm the little brunette down. "The whole point of the first date is to see if you like each other enough to see each other again. Just relax and have a good time tonight. You're Rachel Berry, you can do this."

Rachel looked at Kurt in the eyes and smiled softly. "You're right. I'm Rachel Berry and I can do this... So, he's been talking about our date?"

Kurt smiled. "I think he has probably single handedly told the whole school about it."

Rachel let out what seemed like a soft giggle. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who is excited about the date."

Kurt went and opened the door of the bathroom, realizing that Rachel had finally calmed down. "I sure you will have a good time. He's an odd but sweet boy."

Rachel nodded and followed Kurt out. Kurt walked Rachel to her class, telling her about some of the finer attributes of the boy who was trying to woo her, and also some of the ridiculous things that the boys had said in the car. By the time Kurt turned to leave, he felt that Rachel was again excited about the prospect of her date with Josh.

When he reached history, he walked over to Mercedes' and Tina's desks. "How are my wonderful ladies today?" Kurt asked with a smile.

Mercedes smiled back. "Pretty good."

Kurt looked at Tina. "Tina?"

The Asian girl smiled broadly at Kurt.

Kurt laughed lightly. "That good, huh? Well, I was wondering if you too lovely ladies would like to come over to my house tonight to make up for the spa treatment that we skipped last weekend."

Mercedes nodded. "Sure, but isn't it usually you and papa Hummel's bonding night?"

Kurt sighed. "Yes, but he is going to be away on business."

Tina spoke softly. "Sleep over?"

Kurt grinned. "That sounds like a great idea. Would you two mind if I invited Santana, Brit and Quinn?"

Mercedes shook her head. "What no Rachel?"

Kurt leaned closer. "You haven't heard about her big date tonight?"

Mercedes smirked. "Oh, I've heard, but I'm willing to hear more."

Kurt laughed at his friend. "Well, I can tell you more tonight. So what about the other girls?"

Mercedes shrugged as did Tina. "We don't mind, boo."

"Good. I'll see you at my place at five-ish." Kurt said as he walked to his seat. Finn had already sat down and smiled at Kurt as he approached.

"Morning, Kurt." Finn said as Kurt put his things down.

Kurt slid into his seat as he answered. "Good morning, Finn." He really wanted to be upset with Finn but the QB had done nothing wrong. It wasn't Finn's fault that his dad liked him more than Kurt. They had the same interest and the same beliefs. Actually, Kurt was sure that Finn was what his dad would have been like when he was their age. He knew that his dad was a lot more like Finn than he had been like Kurt when he was younger.

"So what are your plans this weekend? Puck and I are hanging out tonight. Do you want to come too?" Finn asked.

Kurt smiled. "I would love to but I have plans with Mercedes and Tina."

"Oh, what are you guys doing? Manicures?" Finn started laughing at what he thought was a joke.

Kurt straightened up. "Actually, that's exactly what we are doing. We were supposed to do them this weekend but, you know." Kurt shrugged.

Finn paled a little. Kurt didn't know if it was because he realized he had put his foot in this mouth again, or if it was because the mention of Kurt's baby being destroyed. "Dude, I was joking."

Kurt glared at the word dude. "Well, I'm not. It should be fun have a little pampering after the week I had."

Finn gave Kurt an odd look. "Um... Yeah, sounds like fun." He glanced forward. "Looks like Mr. Kirk's about to start." He turned and faced the front of the class.

Kurt sighed and took out his phone. He checked to see if there were any texts from Noah before putting it back in his pocket. Maybe the three of them working together for glee would make it easier for Kurt to find out how to talk to the taller boy. Right now, it seemed like they were on totally different planets. It was odd since he was sure if he told any of the guys about tonight they would have laughed and threatened to crash the night. He smiled thinking about the new group of friends that had adopted him.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

Kurt saw Noah from a distance during lunch. He had wanted to get up and talk to the other boy but thought better of it. He didn't want Noah to think he was a little kid that Noah had to pay attention to. Noah waved to him and Kurt waved back but Noah never made a move to come and hang out with Kurt. Kurt wished that he had, since he really wanted to talk to the wide receiver for at least a little while. It seemed to brighten his day for some odd reason.

He was able to ask Santana, Brit and Quinn over to his house later though. The three of them said it was fine and they would be there which made Kurt happy. He did wish he could have asked Rachel, but he didn't want to give her an excuse to not go out or end the night early. He was going to ask her to text him when she got home though, to see if it was early enough for her to come over. He really didn't want to wait until Monday to find out what happened tonight. He looked at Rachel and smiled. The brunette had been looking at the jock table. She was clearly watching Josh, who seemed to be sneaking looks at her as well.

The rest of the day was spent not thinking about how his dad was abandoning him this weekend, and how much fun it was going to be having the girls over for a few hours. Santana said that she would be there a little early even to help with cooking if needed. The idea of cooking rather than having takeout seemed amusing to Kurt at the time so he said yes. He had been eating pretty poorly, even for him lately.

At the end of the day, he was wondering who would be his ride. Berry had picked him up but Noah could easily drop him off. Okay, maybe not easily. He didn't know where Noah lived, but it hadn't stopped him from picking up Kurt before. He waited at the school door like a child waiting for his mother to come pick him up. When he was saying goodbye to Azimio, he felt an arm being draped onto his shoulder. He turned to see a grinning Noah looking at him.

"Come on, princess. Let's get you to your sleep over. Don't want to miss out on your spa date, now do you?"

Grinning, Kurt hit Noah. "How did you hear about it?"

Noah smirked. "Are you kidding? The guys were trying to figure out whether dressing in drag would get them into the house. Most of the guys who go here have a crush on one of the glee girls. Fuck, since Santana and Brit are going to be there, there's talk of a girl on girl orgy going on."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Why would I want any part of that?" Kurt said as he got into Noah's truck.

Noah looked very serious for a second before answering. "Well, there are two working theories about that going around school. One, which is the less likely of the two: you are secretly extremely straight and have been playing gay so you can get girls especially in orgy formation."

Kurt shook his head. He replied melodramatically. "Darn, my plans have been revealed. I'm a raging heterosexual who loves boobies and vaginas... and asses. I love those, too."

Noah laughed at Kurt's impression of a straight guy. "Princess, there is so much wrong with what you just said I don't know where to start."

Kurt smirked. "Number two?"

Noah looked confused for a second then continued. "Two: you are going to tape it and sell it on the internet. With your millions, you will buy a harem of boys to keep you happy."

Kurt laughed. "And that's the more likely scenario? I'm going to use my friends to make amateur porn?"

Noah nodded. "Yeah, but at least you're still gay. That was the biggest flaw with the other plan."

Kurt smiled as he thought of his new supposed career. There was too much wrong with the idea for it to work. He noticed that Noah seemed happier than usual. Not that Noah usually showed when he was upset, but this version was a little happier than normal. After a beat, Kurt finally asked what had been on his mind all morning. "So where were you this morning?"

Noah wiggled his eye and smiled at Kurt. "Why? Did you miss me?"

Kurt scoffed. "Please. Miss you? What's there to miss? Your weird hair style? Your odd sense of humor? Your need to mock me all the time?" Kurt grinned at the end of his little speech.

Noah, however, didn't react with normal carefree attitude. In fact, it seemed like he was hurt by Kurt's teasing. "Why should I tell you since you don't really care?"

Kurt was taken aback by the hurt in Noah's voice. He had been sure that Noah was going to take it as the joke it was meant to be. "I texted you as soon as I found out you weren't picking me up."

"So? Azimio texted me this morning too." Noah answered without looking at Kurt. His biggest response being the tightening of his hands around the steering wheel.

"But I looked for you during lunch." Kurt replied hoping that Noah realized how happy Kurt was to hang out with him.

Noah snorted. "And he found me before third period."

Kurt was becoming upset by the cold responses from Noah. "I didn't want Berry to pick me up for school. I'd already had a bad morning and that made it worse. I like the guys but I like spending time with you more. You know I didn't like it when Finn came with you yesterday. You picking me up and dropping me off is becoming part of our time. It makes me feel better when you joke around with me. I didn't mean to upset you. I swear I was joking. Please don't be mad at me." Kurt voice started to get a high pitched as he finished speaking.

Noah pulled over a few houses away from Kurt's and gently moved the agitated teen closer to him. "Hey, don't get so worked up."

Kurt grabbed onto Noah's shirt and moved closer to Noah. "I didn't want you to be mad. I was just joking."

The larger teen pulled Kurt on to his lap and started to rub his back. "I know. I'm sorry I was being a little sensitive. Don't worry about it."

Kurt shook his head. "But I am going to worry about it. In the last two weeks, you've become really close to me. It's like we've always been friends. I don't want to lose that because of me saying something stupid."

Noah sighed. "Princess, I swear that I'm not going to dump you as a friend for a few little words. You've gotten under my skin too."

Kurt smiled at Noah. "I'm glad."

They sat there for a second before Noah spoke. "Um... Princess, maybe you should get off my lap so I can drop you off at home?" Noah looked a little uncomfortable.

Kurt blushed wildly as he moved back to his seat. Apparently, he was getting too comfortable with Noah. He hadn't even felt awkward sitting in Noah's lap, but it seemed Noah to make a little uneasy. That was odd since last Friday Noah let him stay in his lap for much longer than that.

Noah drove the last few blocks to Kurt's house and stopped. They sat there in silence for a few minutes. Neither of the boys seemed to want to leave. Finally, Kurt noticed his dad coming out of the house with his bags and sighed. He turned to Noah and put a hand on his arm. "I've got to go. Dad's going out of town and I want to say goodbye."

Noah nodded. "Um... So are we still on for tomorrow with Karofsky and his boy toy?" Noah looked a little disappointed as he asked.

Kurt grinned. "Yes. We are supposed to meet them at Little Hat's at ten. Is that okay?"

The wide receiver shrugged. "Sure."

Kurt glanced at his dad who seemed to be watching them closely and then back to Noah. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Noah looked at Kurt and half smiled at the boy. "I'll be fine. Like I told you before, I just need to grow a pair and get things to work out right."

Kurt frowned. It was obvious that Noah really liked someone and was trying to figure out how to ask this girl out. It was odd to see the lothario so worried about a girl. He must really like her. "Whatever it is, remember that you are a pretty amazing guy."

Noah's smile widened. "Thanks, princess." He paused. "Um... I think you should go considering your dad keeps on looking at his watch."

Kurt nodded and left the car. As Noah drove away, Kurt waved goodbye to him then walked up to his dad. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey... So you sure nothing is going on?" Burt asked as they walked into the house.

Kurt sighed. "No. Nothing is going on between Noah and me. I was actually trying to help him with a girl he likes."

Burt glanced at Kurt. "Really? So he has a girlfriend?"

Kurt shook his head. "Not a girlfriend per se, but a girl that he would like to be with. He's trying to get the courage to ask her out."

Burt shrugged. "I thought he was a lady's man."

Kurt nodded. "He is but he can be very focused when he wants to be... So are you ready to go?"

Burt nodded but did not look happy about the prospect. "Maybe you should stay somewhere else for the next two nights. I don't like the idea of you being here by yourself all night."

Kurt smiled. "Don't worry. I'm having a sleep over with some of the girls from glee tonight."

"But no boys. If there are boys, they better be sleeping else where." Burt warned.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "No, there will be no boys unless they crash the party like they've been threatening and then, really, it's not my fault."

Burt grabbed his last bag and started to walk out of the house with Kurt at his side. "Why are they trying to crash the party?"

Kurt shook his head. "Trust me dad, you don't want to know."

Burt gave a look that encouraged Kurt to tell him what Noah had said.

Sighing, Kurt revealed the odd ideas. "Well, there is gossip going around that either I'm an amateur porn director or the coming out as gay is my super secret way to meet girls."

Burt looked like he wanted to laugh but was trying to hold it in. "Interesting."

Kurt shrugged. "I told you that you didn't want to hear it."

Burt lost his battle with his laughter when he saw Kurt's put out face. "Son, that's what guys do when they are friends. They make up wild unbelievable stories about each other's prowess. Ask Noah about it sometime if you don't believe me. It means that they like you."

Kurt smiled. "I know, but I'm just amused by the fact that those are the two extremes they have decided on."

Burt looked down at his watch and threw his bag in his car. "I've got to get going. No sex in the basement... even if they are girls."

Kurt laughed and moved to give his dad a hug. "I'll try my best to contain myself. Also, that means the rest of the house if free game, right?"

Burt laughed as he hugged his son. "No sex in the house until your fifty since it's combined with the no-dating rule until you're fifty."

Kurt stepped back as his dad let him go. Kurt continued the joke that he had started the other day. "I hear you. Go elope when you're twenty and don't tell me for a week. Got it, dad."

Burt chuckled as he got in the car and drove away. Kurt stood in the driveway for a few seconds and watched his dad leave. As he was going into the house, he had the odd feeling like he was being watched. At the door, he turned and looked around but he saw nothing unusual. He put it down as being paranoid from the attack on his car the week before. When he got into the house, he locked the door and started to clean up to make room for the girls when they arrived.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

Kurt had just finished mopping the kitchen when he heard the doorbell ring. He washed his hand as he yelled, "Coming." He glanced through the viewer to see Santana standing there with groceries in her hands. Kurt quickly opened the door and grabbed the food from his friend.

"Hey, Kurt." Santana said as she started to take off the layers she was wearing. Just because she had to wear the cheerleader's uniform at school did not mean that she wasn't freezing in the cold winter air that was Lima in mid-February.

Kurt had started to unpack the bags that Santana had brought. There were chicken breasts strips, parmesan cheese, pasta, heavy whipping cream, scallions, white wine, sun-dried tomatoes, blackening spice, and sea salt. Kurt had no idea what she was trying to make. "So what are we making?"

Santana laughed at the confused look on Kurt's face. "We are making Cajun Chicken Alfredo. Puck made it for me once and I hounded him until he taught me it. It's amazing." Santana went through Kurt's cabinets until she found the aprons. She grabbed a pink one and a black one. She tossed the pink one to Kurt and put on the black one. "You can start cutting veggies while I start the chicken. We need a cast iron skittle and a big zip lock bag."

Kurt got the items and watched Santana work as he started to cut the scallions and tomatoes like Santana asked. The little brunette took the blackening spices and tossed most of it into the bag with a few pieces of the chicken. She shook the bag as she jokingly dance around the kitchen with a smile. When the chicken pieces were covered with the spices, she moved them onto the skillet which was coated with oil and lightly fried them. She looked at the remaining chicken with some annoyance. "Do you have a baking pan? A big one? I need to put this into the oven and I don't think I have enough space in this skillet."

Kurt nodded and took out a large baking pan and gave it to Santana as she continued to coat the chicken then lightly fry them. When they were all fried, she put them in the oven and started on the pasta. She grabbed a big pot, put some water in and tossed some salt in. As she waited for the water to boil, she started cracking open the garlic she had found in Kurt's kitchen and handing them to Kurt so he could mince them.

She then grabbed a big pot and tossed the garlic in with a little oil. As those caramelized, she took the chicken out of the oven. She handed them to Kurt and asked him to cut them into strips. After, she put the chicken and the tomatoes into the pot then opened the wine. She poured some of the wine into the pot then took a little drink of the remaining wine. She smiled at Kurt. "Best part of cooking."

She turned back and poured in the whipping cream. The doorbell rang so Kurt abandoned her to get the door. He saw that it was the rest of the girls as he opened the door. Mercedes came in first. "We picked Quinn and Brit up since Santana's the only other girl with a car." She took a sniff and smiled widely. "That smells wonderful."

Kurt started to collect the coats from the girls and putting them in the closet. "Santana is putting together a wonderful dinner tonight. Chicken Alfredo, Cajun style."

Quinn moaned softly. "I bet it's Puck's recipe. She made it once for me and it was delicious."

Kurt turned and smiled. "It looks delicious."

Santana smiled as the little group came into the kitchen. She walked over and kissed Brit on the cheek then waved hello to everyone. "It needs to boil down so we have some time on our hands."

Kurt nodded. "So what do you girls want to do? We have a run of the house since my dad is out of town."

"We can watch P.S. I Love You. I love that movie." Mercedes said.

Santana laughed. "Isn't that a little girly?"

Kurt smiled. "Yeah but it's a cute movie. The book is completely different from it though." Kurt moved them over to living room.

Santana sat on the sofa end closest to the kitchen. "I have to go check on it in ten minutes to make sure it's reducing properly." She pulled Brit next to her.

Quinn sat down next to Brit. Kurt decided to take the corner spot that was usually his dad's and Tina took his normal spot. Mercedes sat down in the lazy boy next to the couch and relaxed. A few minutes into the movie, Santana got up, checked on the food, and called everyone into the kitchen. She had added the rest of the ingredients and it was ready to be served. Kurt handed her plates and she gave everyone their part of the meal while Kurt handed them a beverage of their choice. Santana handed Kurt his plate and took her own then grabbed the rest of the wine bottle to drink with dinner. Kurt shook his head and followed the girls back into the living room.

The movie was just as sad as Kurt remembered it. Most of the girls had started to tear up during one part or another. Santana and Mercedes had started yelling out numbers for how attractive the men were in each scene. Kurt laughed as the arguments sometimes became very heated.

Every once in a while, Kurt would check his phone to make sure he hadn't missed a call. He really wanted to hear from Rachel but he was also sure that this was one of those no-news-is-good-news situations. He smiled as the girls stretched and got off of the couch. "Do you want to go downstairs to do our nails?"

The girls nodded and the group moved downstairs. Kurt grabbed Quinn and started on her nails. The soon-to-be-mom had needed to get up and pee numerous times during the movie. "So how is the baby doing?"

Quinn shrugged. "She's figured out where my bladder is."

Mercedes interrupted from where she was doing Santana's nails. "We noticed, hun. Is it always that bad?"

Quinn shrugged. "Sometimes, but she's still pretty good most of the time."

"Have you talked to Noah?" Kurt asked as he pushed her cuticles back a little more.

Nodding, Quinn tried not to watch as Kurt finished trimming back her cuticles. "A little. I feel bad about how I treated him before. I knew he cared about kids but I didn't think that he was going to be so gung-ho about being a dad in high school."

Santana snorted. "He practically raised his sister. I don't think he would have any problems raising another ankle biter."

Quinn looked confused. "What about his mom?"

Santana shrugged. "His mom was there but she had to work two jobs in order to make sure that there was food on the table and a roof over their heads. She spent as much time as she could with them but sometimes Puck just manned up and took care of his little sis."

"Oh..." Quinn looked guilty and ashamed. "I didn't know."

Santana shrugged. "He doesn't really talk about it much."

An awkward silence that hung in the air. Kurt finally interrupted it. "So how do you think Rachel and Josh are doing?"

Mercedes smiled. "With how those two were looking at each other during lunch, I think they'll be just fine."

Tina smiled while Brit stopped doing Tina's nails to nod vigorously. Kurt laughed lightly. "I think they will be the next 'it' couple at the school."

Quinn nodded. "I'm just happy that we've stopped fighting over Finn."

Kurt gave her a questioning look as he started to buff her nails. "Why?"

Quinn tensed for a second then answered. "I don't want to be the crazy pregnant chick who is pissed off because the guy she cheated on choose someone else. I really do love Finn and I know I did a bad thing by sleep with Puck, but it was one drunken mistake."

Mercedes snorted. "It was one huge mistake and that part isn't Rachel's fault. She might have been flaunting her stuff but tall and handsome didn't have to look."

Quinn sneered at the call out. "I think she didn't help it any."

Kurt knew he should change the subject but he wanted to know something first. "Why are you still so hung up on Finn?"

Quinn stopped glaring at Mercedes and looked down at Kurt, who was applying her first coat of paint. "He's the same sweet, somewhat awkward guy who asked me if I wanted to go out for ice cream three years ago, and then almost ran when he saw me come out of my house for our date the next night."

Nodding, Kurt could see how that could seem sweet. "So, are you two getting back together?"

Quinn was quiet for a second. "I don't know. He is giving me mixed signals. Not that I can blame him because of everything that's happened."

Kurt nodded. Santana spoke up. "Can I just say I think it sucks that Kurt has to help him play catch up since he wants a job?"

Mercedes continued Santana's gripe. "Mmmhmm. If it was anyone else, Mr. Schu would have said that we weren't committed enough to the club and told us no."

Kurt felt a little bad that the night had become a bitch fest against Finn. "Mr. Schu did say that he might not get any more solos."

"Puck's voice is prettier." Brit said as she showed off Tina's nails to everyone. They were black French tips which fit Tina perfect though the extra sparkle in the tips were probably Brit's idea.

Even Quinn nodded. "Puck's version of "Blackbird" is better than Finn's. I don't know if it's just because he's more attached to the song since he sings it to the baby or that it just fits him better but it is beautiful."

Smiling, Kurt nodded. "He does have an amazing voice. I just wish Mr. Schu would let him sing more leads."

Mercedes add. "I think now that Finn is not the only male game in town with a low range and with Puck's performances lately, Finn might get the boot from Mr. Schu."

Kurt nodded as he finished Quinn's nails. "I hope so. I just want everyone to get a fair shake in glee and Finn is being picked because he is Mr. Schu's favorite. I don't know if I can keep quiet with how the club is being run if our auditions mean nothing as long as Mr. Schu likes us. It isn't fair to anyone that Finn is Mr. Schu's fair haired boy."

Santana pointed out, "He wasn't just Mr. Schu's favorite. Rachel always wanted him to be her partner but she told him where to stick it after he dissed her yesterday."

Mercedes laughed. "She looked pretty annoyed when she started to tell Mr. Schu not to pick Finn all the time."

Kurt shrugged. "Well, she already had a date for tonight so I think she realized that Finn wasn't the only game in town and she could find someone more suited for her."

"I hope they work out." Tina said as she was waiting for her nails to dry.

Quinn agreed. "I haven't really talked to Josh much but he seems like a really nice guy. He's funny and laid back. Plus if he can deal with Berry all the time, I'm sure Rachel will be a piece of cake."

Santana nodded. "That boy should get sainthood for the crap that Berry has pulled and he had to help out with."

Kurt looked at them both. "Other than his extreme guilt complex, I've never seen Berry be that odd."

Santana answered. "That's because you've never seen him with a lot of caffeine in his system. It's been banned on Berry for years now."

Quinn nodded. "I remember this one time, a few years ago, where we accidently gave Berry some caffeine and he seemed fine for the first ten minutes. Then he started to run around the house playing tag with everyone though no one else was playing. Since he was getting hot from running around, he started to take off his cloths and throw them at random people. The worst part is he ran out of the house like that and poor Josh had to chase him before he could hug the mail lady like he had threatened."

Mercedes' jaw dropped for a second. "Are you sure that was caffeine and not crack that you gave him?"

The girls from the Cheerios nodded but Santana answered. "Yup and poor Josh was the only one who was willing to sit with Berry until he came down from his high, which happened hours later."

Kurt went and sat next to Mercedes to do her nails as Brit curled around Santana and leaned in for a kiss. Santana smiled and pulled Brit into her lap letting the blonde girl kiss her. Kurt turned back to Mercedes. "So what do you girls want to do after I'm done with Mercedes' nails?"

Quinn asked. "What about your nails?"

Kurt shook his head and held out his nails. "I always keep them perfect. The most I'm going to do is soak them and buff them a little more tonight."

"Then why did you invite us over?" Quinn asked confused.

Kurt shrugged. "I just wanted some company and I haven't had a good gab session in a while."

Mercedes interrupted. "That's more your fault than ours. You've been spending your extra time with a certain boy with a mohawk."

Santana leaned forward interested in what Kurt was going to say. "You two have been attached at the hip lately."

Kurt nodded. "He felt bad for me after I got knocked around a little too hard by Karofsky and took me under his wing. He's not that bad of a guy when you get passed all of the macho showboating."

Mercedes nodded as Kurt worked on buffing her nails. "He does have his sweet moments."

Quinn laid down on Kurt's bed and asked. "So how about you and your crushes Kurt? Find anyone new?"

Kurt shook his head as he started on Mercedes' first layer of polish. "Not really. Life's been too busy between football, glee, and my dad dating."

Quinn nodded. "How is that going by the way?"

Kurt shrugged as he paused between layers of nail polish to give the first layer a chance to dry. "They seem to like each other a lot so they are both happy."

"But, boo, what do you think? I mean if it gets serious Finn's mom is going to be your step-mom." Mercedes asked.

Kurt looked up at his friend. "First of all, she might marry my dad but that doesn't make her my mom. Secondly, it's not really up to me. I put them together and I like that they are happy and as long as they stay that way I'll be fine."

Mercedes shook her head. "But it does affect you."

Kurt shrugged. "I'll worry about that bridge when I have to cross it." He looked at the other girls in the room. "Seriously, what do you girls want to do? I have DDR, playstation, wii, X-Box, and board games galore."

Brit looked up from where her head was resting at the corner of Santana's neck. "Apples to Apples?"

Kurt smiled. "Yup. It's in the closet right next to my shoes."

Brittney quickly got up and grabbed the game as Kurt finished Mercedes second coat and clear finish. The blonde girl and her girlfriend setup the game while Kurt ran upstairs for a glass of water. While he was there, Kurt again felt like there was someone watching him. He turned on the lights and slowly made his way to the front door. He looked out the peephole and only saw the girls cars in the driveway. He shook his head, turned off the lights, and went back to the kitchen. He grabbed his water glass and went downstairs. The girls had already set up the game and were waiting for Kurt to begin.

The game lasted quite a while and by the time Santana won, by some questionable connection, it was pretty late at night. The girls pushed the chairs out of the way and made the floor into a large sleeping area. Kurt and the others insisted that Quinn get Kurt's bed because of the baby and Kurt was going to sleep on the floor. The girls watched Kurt do his nightly routine with only a few questions about the brands he was using for moisturizing. Kurt changed into his pajamas and laid down at one of the ends of their creation that was covered in blankets. Kurt saw Mercedes laid down next to him and Tina next to her. Santana and Brit curled up at the other end of the room looking completely content. "Night, girls." Kurt said as he drifted off to sleep.


	24. Chapter 24

Edited by I AM AIR

* * *

Kurt woke up to the sound of a camera going off. He heard the artificial click sound and looked up to see Noah standing over him with a camera in hand. He was too tired to think about why the glock would have a camera in his hand much less why he would take pictures of him asleep. So, he snuggled into the source of warmth in front of him. For some reason, that made the warm spot behind him move closer. Not really thinking, Kurt almost fell asleep again until the warm spot behind him sprouted an arm and pulled him closer. He opened his eyes to see a sleeping Brittney in front of him and turned this head to see a sleeping Santana behind him. He jerked up into a sitting position, causing the two girls to wake up and Noah to almost fall over laughing.

Kurt glared at Noah only to see Quinn, Tina and Mercedes also laughing right behind him. Noah finally stopped laughing enough to speak, though there were many breaks for laughter in between. "So...we know... which... which one... it... is." Noah started laughing harder as he finished talking.

Kurt was in no way, shape or form, happy about what was happening. He was woken up with two girls molesting him in his sleep with one of his closest friends taking pictures of him. Pictures, that he was sure, were going to be shown around school making it seem like he was straight. Not that being straight was bad but the jokes would be horrifying. "Noah, give me the camera."

Noah smiled. "Not a chance. Anyway, you have..." He looked at the time on his phone "about fifteen minutes to get ready to go out."

Kurt grabbed for his phone, which had been next to his pillow and saw that it said 9:30. He frowned and threw back the sheets. He sprinted to his bathroom to get ready.

He quickly got through his morning regimen and came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He stuck his head out to see if the coast was clear, and was pleased to see no one was still in his room. It still looked very messy, but he could deal with that when he got back. He ran into his closet and grabbed the best somewhat-casual outfit he could find. Though he was sure that Karofsky's boyfriend was going to be a complete dud, it wouldn't do to meet him not looking his best. He quickly put on his make-up and went up the stairs, in a little over fifteen minutes later.

When he got upstairs, he saw Noah leaning over the kitchen countertop. The tall jock had his back to him so he couldn't figure out what he was doing. He moved slowly and was about to tap him on the shoulder when Noah spoke, "So you ready to go, then?"

Kurt huffed and walked past Noah to the door. "Yes, I'm ready, but how did you know?"

Noah smiled at Kurt. "I'm just that good. Also, I heard a step creak."

Kurt laughed softly and opened the door. "Here I thought it was some cool ninja trick."

Noah stepped out and waited for Kurt to lock the door. "It would have been if the step didn't creak."

"I bet if it wasn't for that step, you won't have known I was behind you." Kurt said as he got into the car.

"I have crazy, mad skills." Noah said as he started the car. "So...you still into doing this?"

Kurt shrugged. "I'd feel bad if we didn't go at this point, considering Karofsky has been looking forward to this for some odd reason."

Noah snorted. "I think it's because he can prove someone feels bad enough to date him."

"I feel for the boy who has to date Karofsky." Kurt shook his head. "I still think that Karofsky scared the kid by almost beating the poor boy in order to make him listen to him."

Noah nodded. "That's probably true. No other reason why anyone would date Karofsky."

Kurt looked at Noah. "So, how was your night with Finn?"

Noah wiggled his eyebrow. "Not as good as your night with the ladies."

Kurt lightly hit Noah. "Get your head out of the gutter. Nothing happened."

Noah nodded solemnly. "I'm sure that's true...but that's not what the boys will say when they see the pictures."

Kurt frowned. "Give me the pictures."

"Not going to happen." Noah replied with a smile.

Kurt folded his arms and pouted until he heard felt his phone vibrate. He looked down to see that the battery was low. He quickly sent his dad a text that he was alive but his phone was dying so he was going to turn it off. He had reassure his dad he was okay just incase he called anytime soon because knowing his dad, he would freak out if Kurt didn't answer the phone. Kurt turned off the phone and put it back in his pocket.

He leaned forward as he saw Little Hat's coming up. He didn't really know what to expect from the brunch. Maybe he would find a kindred spirit in the boy that Karofsky had pushed into dating him. He wasn't looking for a boyfriend but a gay guy he could talk to would be nice.

The diner was a little more worn than Barb's. The main reason why it was still there was that it was convenient for anyone who was visiting someone in the hospital rather than the actual food. It wasn't a horrible diner just not up to the same par as Barb's or Mama B's. Kurt got out of the car and waited for Noah at the entrance of the diner. Noah opened the door for him and the pair walked in. Kurt craned his head to see if he could see Karofsky. It was a pretty sizable place, because of the location always had hungry visitors or hospital staff. Noah noticed the pair sitting at a table in the corner.

The mystery boyfriend had his back facing them, and Karofsky seemed too caught up in what his boyfriend was saying to notice that Kurt and Noah were there. That gave Kurt a chance to check out the new boy without anyone really noticing. He seemed normal from the back. He seemed to care about fashion, because it looked like he had a herringbone jacket draped on the back of his chair. Kurt could see strong shoulders under the white cable sweater that he was wearing with a light blue shirt. The fit made him seem like he was about Kurt's size but seemed like he had stronger bone structures at least from the back.

Karofsky seemed to notice them and waved them over with a smile on his face. It wasn't a smile that Kurt had seen before. Maybe he had seen a bit of it when Karofsky mentioned his boyfriend, but otherwise it was completely out of character for the normally hostile boy. The mystery boy got up and turned around. Kurt's jaw dropped. This was not a hideous geeky kid that Karofsky had come across. No, this Blaine character was handsome. He probably had his pick of guys with those looks, but why would he pick Karofsky? Kurt felt Noah's hand on the small of his back and looked at the other boy. Noah gave Kurt a questioning look as he ushered Kurt to the table. Kurt shook his head and smiled at Karofsky and Blaine.

Blaine took a few steps towards them. "Hi, I'm Blaine. Dave has told me about both of you. Though..." Blaine looked back wickedly at Karofsky, "he did fail to mention you were so cute."

Karofsky laughed and put an arm around Blaine's waist. The boy from Dalton moved closer to his boyfriend with a smile. "Sure, babes. I was going to give myself competition."

Blaine laughed. "Well, I was thinking more along the lines of you hanging out with these two when I'm all alone."

Karofsky smiled fondly at Blaine. "No contest, babes. I'd pick you."

Blaine pushed off Karofsky, breaking the jock's hold of him. "And don't you forget it." Blaine turned back to Kurt and Noah who stood there not knowing what to do. "I'm sorry. We don't get the chance to see each other very often since school usually keeps a tight leash on both of us, so we turn into these love sick puppies when we see each other. Come sit."

Blaine took his jacket from the chair he was sitting in and moved to the seat next to Karofsky. Karofsky moved his seat a little closer to Blaine allowing him to put his left hand on Blaine's leg. Kurt sat in the seat that Blaine had been in and Noah took the seat opposite of Karofsky. There was silence as the boys tried to figure out something to talk about. Blaine finally turned to Kurt, letting his right arm brush up against Karofsky and finally settling once his hand was on top of Karofsky's. "So Dave tells me you're in glee."

Kurt nodded but Noah answered before Kurt could. "We both are."

Kurt looked at Noah. He was leaning back in his chair with his arms folded over his chest. It seemed like this was the last place on Earth that he wanted to be. It made sense to Kurt since Noah probably didn't want to be categorized as gay even if he was okay with gays in general. Kurt gave Noah an encouraging smile before turning back to Blaine. "Yes, we both are."

Blaine looked back and forth between the two boys then to his boyfriend who seemed to smile back with a knowing smile. "Well, I'm part of the glee group at Dalton. Some of the other boys in the group and I went to sectionals a few months ago and saw you perform. Your group was very good."

Kurt blushed slightly at the praise. "Thank you. I'm still upset that we lost, but we did give it a good try."

Blaine nodded and leaned more onto Karofsky. "I wouldn't be surprised if you won next year."

Before Kurt could comment, the waitress came to the table. She seemed pleasant enough until she saw how Karofsky and Blaine were sitting. The smile she had before fell off her face. "What do you want?" She looked at Noah and turned her back to the couple.

Karofsky's face started to turn red. Kurt had seen that face before right before he had been thrown into a dumpster. Before Kurt could say anything, Blaine interfered. Blaine winked at Kurt and Noah, then moved Karofsky closer to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Hey, can I have the scrambled eggs with a side of hash browns that you promised me?" Blaine asked.

Karofsky took a deep breath and relaxed against Blaine. "Sure, babes. Whatever you want."

Blaine got a wicked look on his face. "Really? In that case..." Whatever he said was whispered into Karofsky's ear. The boy who looked like he was about to beat the waitress for judging him and his boyfriend was now starting to smile widely.

The waitress looked at them with disgust then turned back to Noah. "Are you going to order or what?"

Noah looked at Kurt before answering. "Or what. Come on, let's get out of here."

Blaine looked at them and nodded. He got up and grabbed his coat as Karofsky mirrored him. As soon as they were dressed for the harsh weather, Karofsky pulled Blaine next to him and walked out of the diner with his head held high.

Kurt and Noah followed the couple slowly. It was sad that their morning had been interrupted by a small minded waitress who couldn't keep her believes to herself. As they were leaving, Kurt heard the waitress say, "And don't you homos come back."

Kurt whipped around. "For what? The crappy service or the horrible food? Just because you haven't gotten laid in the last few decades doesn't make it right for you to be bitchy to everyone. Get a vibrator! Learn to do it yourself since I certainly don't see anyone lining up to do the job for you."

Kurt marched out of the doors fuming. He turned to walk to Noah's truck only to see Karofsky pinning Blaine to the wall and making out with him. The smaller boy didn't seem to mind since he had both arms around Karofsky's neck keeping him in place. Noah sighed and cleared his throat. Blaine's eyes opened and saw the pair watching them. He let go of Karofsky and pushed the jock back lightly. The jock stole a few short kisses before stepping away and wrapping an arm around Blaine's waist. The shorter boy seemed happy with the move and leaned into Karofsky until most of his body was against Karofsky's.

Kurt was taken aback by the contentment in Blaine's and Karofsky's faces. They weren't happy, no one in their right mind would be after what just happened but they weren't coming apart like he would have been in their shoes. Blaine had seemingly found a way to tame the beast that was Karofsky. Karofsky in turned seemed willing to be tamed at least a little.

Karofsky spoke. "Sorry, this was a bust."

Kurt shook his head. "It's not your fault."

Noah nodded. "And it's not like there's not other places."

Karofsky nodded. "Yeah."

Kurt looked at Blaine and Karofsky before asking. "Do you want to try somewhere else?" He looked at Blaine. "Have you tried Barb's? The food is amazing."

Blaine looked at Karofsky before answering. The linebacker shrugged. "It's up to you, babes."

Blaine turned to Kurt and nodded. "Sure, we can try somewhere else."

Karofsky let go of Blaine and pushed the smaller boy towards Kurt and Noah. "I need to go check on my brother before I go so you can go with them for now."

Blaine turned and put a hand on Karofsky's chest. "Are you sure? I can come with you."

Karofsky shook his head. "Naw, my mom is probably already there and then she'll start up about how I should feed you more."

Blaine laughed. "That's only because I look like an ad for Calvin Klein next to you."

Karofsky pushed Blaine back towards Kurt and Noah. "The faster I go, the faster I can come back."

Blaine nodded and stepped closer to Kurt and Noah. "Get back soon."

Karofsky started to walk backwards towards his car. "Of course, babes. I don't want you to feel lonely." Karofsky turned and opened the door to his rusty old car and pealed out of the parking lot.

Kurt watched Blaine follow Karofsky car until he couldn't see it anymore. There was a worried look on his face as he watched his boyfriend disappear. After Karofsky's car left his sight, Kurt watched Blaine take a deep breath and turned towards them. The boy from Dalton looked tired and worn out without Karofsky with him. It looked as if a spark was missing from him. Blaine spoke before Kurt could say anything. "So where's the car?"

Noah answered by pointing to his truck. "Kurt is car bitch."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Noah."

Noah draped an arm over Kurt's shoulders. "No problem, princess."

The three of them walked over to the truck and didn't speak until Noah pulled out of the parking lot. Kurt broke the silence. "Are you okay?"

Blaine had been gazing out the window when Kurt asked his question and it took a few second for the other boy to refocus. When he did, he smiled lightly at Kurt. "I'm fine. I'm just a little worried about Dave."

Kurt leaned towards Blaine a little. "I thought his brother was doing okay."

Blaine nodded and then started staring out the window again. "Pat is, but Dave can't stop feeling guilty about what happened." He turned and faced Kurt and Noah. "Did you see the look on that woman's face when I kissed Dave's cheek?"

Noah snorted. "That's nothing. You should have heard what Kurt said to her."

Kurt blushed. "It wasn't fair. You two didn't do anything."

Blaine sighed. "Sometimes, that isn't enough. At my old school, I tried to keep my head down and not make any noise about being gay until the day when one of my supposed friends looked on my computer and outed me in front of the whole school during lunch. After that, I didn't get a moment's peace at school. I was pushed around, called horrible names, and told I was nothing. I took it for as long as I could before I ran away to Dalton. The people there knew I was gay but only because I wanted them to know and they didn't judge me. I don't really flaunt my sexuality there though. I don't want it to become an issue. I just like to assimilate into Dalton as much as possible.

"After a few weeks at Dalton, I got the courage to go to a local LGBT meeting. I met my first boyfriend there. I was only with him for a few weeks, but it was the first time I could be open about who I was and not feel rejected. After we broke up, I still went to the meetings for support and to help others deal with their problems. I sometimes wish I could go back and stand up to my bullies but it's too late for that."

Kurt listened intently to Blaine's speech. It seemed like he really had found someone he could talk to about his problems. So most of his problems were gone now that Karofsky had stopped bullying him but he had someone to talk to about people like the waitress they just had. It would be amazing to have a friend who had gone through the same things as Kurt because it didn't matter that Karofsky was gay, he was never going to be as easily picked out as gay as Kurt was. Though Blaine wasn't as flamboyant as Kurt, someone would finger him as gay way before Karofsky.

Kurt turned to Blaine. "So how did you meet Karofsky?"

Blaine laughed. "Can we call him Dave? It's odd hearing his last name all the time."

Kurt shrugged. "It's more of a sign that I haven't completely forgiven him for what he did. I don't know if you know what he was like at school."

Blaine nodded. "I can understand that. Dave did tell me what he did. I know it doesn't mean much but he was genuinely upset when he called me on the days he was horrible at school. He knew he was being a hypocrite but... Well, you know."

Kurt nodded. "I know. I am getting close to forgiving him."

Blaine smirked. "Could it be the food that he is plying you with?"

Noah started to laugh. "Princess, even people from other schools know about your black hole."

Kurt stuck his tongue out at Noah. Noah smiled widely at Kurt and threw his arm around Kurt's shoulder. Kurt pouted but leaned back against Noah. He turned back to Blaine. "So you were telling me how you met?"

Blaine smiled widely with that same knowing smile he had earlier. "Dave and I met at a LGBT meeting that he went to. He was quiet most of the meeting but when we were leaving he came up next to me and pushed me up against a wall." Blaine paused and smiled broad. "Then the big oaf kissed me."

Kurt jaw dropped. "And you let him?"

Blaine start to laugh as he looked at Kurt's shock face. "Two things: with a guy like Dave you don't really have a choice when he pushes you against a wall and decides to kiss you. And also it wasn't like I wasn't checking him out."

Noah started to laugh. "It takes all kinds."

Blaine nodded. "Luckily, I'm his type, too."

Noah pulled into the parking lot of Barb's. The trio got out and walked into the diner. Noah turned to Kurt and spoke. "I'm going to go check on Barb. Why don't you find a table and I'll be right back."

Kurt nodded and moved to a booth with Blaine. The boy from Dalton sat down across from Kurt and smiled kindly at Kurt. Kurt smiled back a little nervous since he had never really been anywhere with a guy who he knew was gay. He knew it didn't matter that he was gay since Blaine had boyfriend, but Kurt didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of Blaine. One of the waiters came, filled two glasses with water, dropped off some menus and moved away from the table. It gave Kurt the courage to speak. "Um... So why Karofsky?... I mean Dave."

Blaine smiled softly. "You really don't have to call him Dave if you don't want to. As for why Dave, it's like I said, he's my type."

Kurt was confused. How could Karofsky be anyone's type? He was a bully and so rough and tumble. It didn't make much sense. He looked confused at Blaine.

Blaine continued speaking. "I like the type of guys who know what they want and take it. Dave's never really rough with me, just focused. When we're..." Blaine looked around the room and then lowered his voice but had a wicked look on his face. "Doing it..." he relaxed back into his seat "It's like I'm his whole world and he makes sure that it's the same for me."

Kurt was red from the blush that over took his face at the mention of sex between Blaine and Karofsky. "But he so..." Kurt failed to find words that described Karofsky without insulting his boyfriend.

Blaine had a mischievous look in his eye. "Short tempered? Rude? Possessive? Those are just some of his better qualities." Blaine took a sip of the water. "Honestly, I know he has a pretty quick temper. He can go from happy to irate quickly... Maybe I'm not explaining this right..."

Noah came sat down next to Kurt. "Explaining what?"

Blaine smiled at Noah. "Why Dave and I are together." Blaine shrugged off his coat and put it on the seat next to him. "I guess the best way to explain it is our first date." Blaine paused as a waitress came up.

She smiled widely at Noah and nodded to the other boys. "So what can I get you all?"

Kurt was about to answer when Noah interrupted him. "We'll have the Spanish omelets as long as Nick makes them and some hash browns, Nance. Oh and an extra plate of it too since we have one more coming."

Nancy nodded and looked at Blaine. "Is that the same for you?"

Blaine stopped looking at the menu and nodded. "It sounds like he knows what's good."

Nancy smiled. "He better considering how much time he spends here." She turned to Noah. "By the way, are you free on Thursday? I have a shift if you want it."

"I think so." Noah said as he nodded hesitantly. "But can I get back to you in a few days?"

Nancy nodded. "I can work the shift if you don't want it so there's no pressure. I just wanted to get a night with the boyfriend in this week."

Noah smiled at Nancy. "I'll try, but I can't promise anything yet. Sorry."

Nancy shook his head. "You're the kind of guy that would melt butter if you tried. Just tell me later in the week."

Noah nodded and looked back at Blaine and Kurt as Nancy walked away. "Nick makes amazing omelets."

Blaine shrugged but smiled softly. "It's not on the menu so I'm trusting you.

Kurt was growing impatient for the story that Blaine had promised him. It didn't help that Noah had stopped him from ordering pancakes like he wanted. Noah better hope that those omelets were as good as he was promising. "So what happened on your first date?"

Blaine smiled. "Well, we went on our first date a few weeks after that kiss..."

Karofsky interrupted. "Which kiss?"

Blaine turned slightly and smiled widely at Karofsky. That something missing seemed to have returned with Karofsky. "The one where you so rudely pushed me against the wall the first time we met."

Karofsky sat down next to Blaine who moved his hand onto the table. Karofsky's hand was back on Blaine's leg as if it belonged there. The interesting part to Kurt was it all seemed automatic. They seemed enough at ease with each other that they knew what the other person wanted before they did it.

Karofsky smirked. "You mean the kiss that I gave you and when I went to apologize you grabbed me and kissed me? Is that the kiss you are talking about?"

Blaine lightly hit Karofsky. "Please as if you didn't want me to."

Karofsky laughed. "That's not the point. The point is you probably have them thinking I just rushed you, like I would a QB and you never had a choice."

Blaine smirked. "Well, I do like it when you tackle me."

Noah pretended to vomit with smile on his face. "Karofsky having sex. Gross."

Karofsky laughed. "Like I haven't heard stories about you fucking."

Blaine hit Karofsky hard. "Dave, language."

Karofsky smiled and ran his hand up and down Blaine's thigh. "Sorry, babes." Karofsky's voice had a pretend upper-class accent as he continued. "As if I haven't been frequented with the tall tales of your misadventures between the sheets." He let his voice turn make to its normal tone. "So suck it."

Blaine shook his head in defeat. "So close but so far." He turned to Karofsky. "You know you could actually try and enjoy the books I lend to you."

Karofsky seemed to sober up due to the annoyed tone of Blaine's voice. "You know I do, babes. It's just that the lit books aren't as good as my history books so I kind of gloss over some of them."

"History books?" Kurt asked, temporarily distracted from his need to turn back to normal human hues from the red he had turned, again.

Blaine nodded a little woefully. "I've been to more history museums in the last few weeks than I knew existed in Ohio. Half way through the museums, it feels like I'm being dragged around by an over grown child."

Karofsky's face fell a little. "I'm sorry, babes. You know I just get so excited sometimes."

Turning to face Karofsky, Blaine smiled and caressed his boyfriend's face. "I know. I like that you enjoy yourself so much. I just wish it didn't take a toll on my shoulder as you tug me from exhibit to exhibit." Blaine turned to Kurt and Noah. "I have, however, never enjoyed history as much as I do right now. He's really gifted in retelling the events as if they were occurring right now."

Karofsky had a devoted look on his face. He took the hand that was still caressing his face, kissed it lightly and then put it on the table and laced their fingers together.

Kurt watched the couple with a little green monster in his heart. He wished that he had a boyfriend, much less one that seemed so concerned about how the other was doing. He didn't know if their relationship was going to last forever but they seemed so happy that it might. "So your first date?"

Noah laughed. "You're like a dog with a bone, princess."

Blaine and Karofsky laughed. Blaine leaned forward breaking the hold Karofsky had on his hand and letting the linebacker's hand fall back onto his leg. "It's fine. So as I was saying before, our first date was a few weeks after we met. We had been talking on the phone and texting back and forth but no real contact until Dave finally asked me out via text." Blaine said the last few words with ill concealed mirth.

Karofsky groaned. "Cut me some slack. I never had to ask someone out before. Most of the girls seemed to just want me since I was a football player. I never had to try."

Blaine drily replied. "Yes, too bad you're gay. You, now, have to work to get some action."

Karofsky smirked. "Really because I remember it like..."

Kurt interrupted. "Stop... Stop... No more sexual innuendos until I stop blushing."

Noah laughed. "We might never be able to talk about it then." Noah ran a finger down the side of Kurt's face. "The red's becoming semi-permanent."

Kurt felt his face get even hotter, if it was possible, after Noah ran his finger over it. The finger seemed to leave a trail of fire where it touched.

Bliane took pity on Kurt and smiled reassuringly. "I'll try to keep the story clean, however, I don't know if Dave can though." He turned to his boyfriend.

Karofsky straighten in his seat. "I'm taking that as a challenge. Win gets..." Karofsky turned to Kurt then back to Blaine. "It's to be negotiated later."

Blaine smiled and nodded. "You're on. Where was I?"

Noah answered as he relaxed against the back of the booth, putting his arm behind Kurt who just gave him an odd look but allowed the arm to stay. "Karofsky finally asked you out."

Blaine nodded. "So I said yes to him, even though it wasn't the preferred method of asking someone for a date. He told me that it would be for a dinner and play but we would have to leave early in the day on, I think, a Saturday?" Karofsky nodded. Blaine smiled with ill-concealed humor. "So he failed to tell me a few things about this date. Like the fact that it was not in Lima, Finley or even Fort Wanye." Blaine moved backwards and nudged Karofsky. "No, our first date was in Mansfield. He decided that he should take me half way across the state for our first date."

Kurt laughed a little. It seemed odd that anyone would decided that Mansfield as their first date.

Karofsky seemed a little annoyed by the laughter. "It happens to have the second oldest community theater in Ohio. I even researched them. It seemed okay."

Blaine moved closer to Karofsky, who just smiled at the blatant plea for forgiveness. Blaine started to relax next to him when Nancy came back.

"Well, here are your omelets." Nancy turned to Noah. "Nick wants me to tell you next time you want food, you should go make it yourself. He's too old to wait on like you"

Noah laughed. "Tell Nick that his food's better than mine so he can't retire yet."

Nancy smiled. "Will do. Now, do you boys need anything else?"

Karofsky said softly. "I could use an orange juice if you have any."

Nancy turned and faced Karofsky. It was clear to Kurt that she saw Karofsky's hand on Blaine's lap, but it seemed like it made her smile wider. "Well, aren't you two adorable? I'll get you that orange juice right away."

The boys looked at Noah for an explanation. Noah shrugged. "I don't know. Barb just has a rule that no one can be mean to the customers. I know one or two of the crew have gay relatives somewhere, but that's about it."

Kurt waited for a beat before saying, "So Mansfield?"

Blaine pulled away from Karofsky a little and nodded. "Yes, Mansfield, Ohio for the Mansfield Playhouse who were showing... 'Gross Indecency.'" Blaine started laughing.

Nancy came back and put the orange juice in front of Karofsky with a smile and left.

Kurt's eyes widened. "'Gross Indecency? As in 'Gross Indecency: The Three Trails of Oscar Wilde,' 'Gross Indecency?'"

Blaine nodded as Karofsky looked uncomfortable. The large jock leaned forward to take a sip of his juice and started to play with the straw. "How was I supposed to know what the play was about?"

Noah chimed in. "Um... What is 'Gross Indecency?'"

Kurt turned to Noah. "Oscar Wilde was having an affair with some well to do gentlemen's son so the father called him a sodomite." Kurt turned red again. "That was a horrible slur at the time and Oscar Wilde sued. He lost then was tried for being a sodomite and having gross indecency. The play is about what he went through during the trials." Kurt bent his head down and started to eat. He hoped his face would learn not to blush.

After taking another bite, Karofsky continued. "I looked up the trials after we went to the play. Did you know homosexuality wasn't even illegal in England until six years before as his trail? Even then, it was only the act of sex between two men that was illegal, not two women. Before that, there were still people being killed in England for being gay, they just didn't call them homos, just sodomites. Another interesting point is that being gay was becoming okay in other countries at the time. Some of them legalized just a few years before the trials." Karofsky turned to Blaine. "Babes, this was an awesome choice."

Blaine nodded because his mouth was full and pointed to Noah. Karofsky nodded his head in thanks and continued to eat.

Kurt looked at Karofsky with amazement. He had always thought that Karofsky was the stereotypical jock. Apparently, he was nothing of the kind. "Is he always like this?"

Blaine nodded. "He is a walking talking history book. If it's a date, he can recall an incredible amount of information. It is interesting since he remembers anniversaries much better than I do. I've missed some very odd anniversaries according to him." Blaine smiled at Karofsky. "I still think some of them are fictional but who am I to argue with a doting boyfriend?"

Karofsky nodded and quickly swallowed. "We'll be dating for six months in two weeks, and we've know each other for seven months on Tuesday. The first time he gave me a blo..." Karofsky looked at Kurt and stopped. "Umm...His mom was born on September 14 and his dad was May 2. His b-day is April 10, which is the same day as Hitler. The funny part is if it isn't a date, I can't figure out what to do with a number to save my life."

Kurt looked at Karofsky a little annoyed. "You said that the relationship was new."

Karofsky shrugged. "It just depends on what you compare it to. Us versus the U.S., we're babies. Us versus Josh and Rachel, we are ancient."

Kurt rolled his eyes but smiled. He started to eat with his normal vigor now that the conversion seemed over. Blaine, however, had finished his omelet and sat back. "We got there a little early for the eight o'clock showing, so we decided to eat. We found this little cafe right across from the theater and decided to eat there since we didn't know how long it would take to find somewhere else. We just sat there and talked for a little bit like we had been on the phone."

Blaine moved closer to Karofsky again. "So when we were done, Dave went to pay the bill and I went outside to wait on him. While I was waiting, this guy came up to me and started harassing me. He said..." Karofsky threw his arm around Blaine causing Blaine to smile at the linebacker. "Well, forget what he said. He basically cornered me against the wall. I was just about to push him away when Dave appears behind him and pulls the pig off of me. He was my own knight in shining armor."

Kurt couldn't help but look at Noah. The wide-receiver was the only person outside of his dad, that he knew would act that way towards him. Kurt moved closer to Noah whose arm had moved onto the table while he ate. Noah glanced at Kurt and threw an arm around the smaller boy and gave him a half hug. Kurt felt warm all the way through because of that hug. He looked at his uneaten hash-browns and decided that cuddling with his friend was more important right then.

"After the play, which was well acted, we started to head home and that was the first of many dates." Blaine smiled at Karofsky.

Kurt smiled from where he was tucked in next to Noah. "It's kind of hard putting that version of... of Dave with the one I know."

Dave smiled widely at the use of his first name. "Well, outside of Lima I could be who I really am without worrying about it getting back to my dad. I didn't have to be a bully or a dumb jock or even straight. It was freeing."

Kurt nodded. He remembered how it felt like a weight was taken off his chest when he finally told his dad that he was gay. Okay, so his dad said he had already known but it felt nice to be himself.

The group finished brunch with a little chitchat here and there, but they all were soon done with their food. Dave was the first to get up after the check was brought out. He put down his and Blaine's share of the check and handed it to Noah. Noah took the check and took it up to the counter. Kurt tried to object but Noah had already left. Much to the amusement of Blaine and Dave, Kurt quickly finished the hash-browns that were still on his plate before standing up and putting on his coat. They waited for Noah before moving to their cars.

Dave smiled at Kurt and Noah once they were outside. "We should do this again."

Kurt agreed immediately. "Yes, it was nice. It was a great idea Kar... I mean Dave."

Dave smiled. "No big." He turned to Blaine. "Babes, we should head over to the hospital."

Blaine nodded then looked at Kurt and Noah. "It was a pleasure meeting you two." He started to walk back to Dave's car with him then turned. "Dave and I are going to a rally in a few weeks. The purpose of the rally is getting 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repealed. If you two wanted to come, I'm sure we could make some room in the car."

Dave snorted. "It's more like he's speaking at the rally and he wants more people cheering for him." He smiled widely as Blaine hit him on the arm. "But, seriously, if you two want to come, I can pick you up on the way out of town." Dave pulled Blaine closer to him. "I have to support my boy as he changes the world for the better."

Blaine smiled shyly at Dave, which seemed very out of character for a boy that Kurt found to be very charismatic and charming. Dave's reaction was even more surreal too because he just pulled Blaine's jacket tighter around the smaller boy's frame, as if he was trying to protect him from the cold air, but Blaine smiling wide enough that Kurt knew he was enjoying the look adoration on his boyfriend's face.

Blaine caught one of Dave's hands and linked it with his. He then turned to Noah and Kurt. "The rally is in Columbus so it's really fine if you can't make it. Dave is really making a bigger deal out of it then it is."

"We'll be there." Noah announced and did a mock salute.

Blaine laughed. "Thank you. Again, it was a pleasure. I guess I'll see you in a few weeks. Take care."

Kurt just nodded and started to walk back to Noah's truck with him. "I really like Blaine."

Noah nodded as he opened up the door to his truck. "Seems like a good guy."

Nodding, Kurt sat in Noah's truck. "So what are we up to now?" After the odd feelings that Kurt was getting when he was alone in the house, he didn't want to go home yet. Also, it would be nice if he could spend more time with Noah.

Noah shrugged. "I don't have anything else planned. Why?" He pulled out of Barb's parking lot.

Kurt played with the edge of his coat. "Well, dad's out of town so I don't have to get home right now."

Noah smiled widely. "Really? My mom and sis are out of town too so you could come over to my place, if you wanted."

Kurt smiled. "That might be fun."

Noah scoffed. "Now don't get too excited, princess. It's just you, me and a much smaller TV."

Kurt shrugged. "It not the size that matters."

Noah smirked. "And how would you know that princess? You never really dealt with anything hands on. By the way, do you want to head to your place for anything?"

As his face reddened slightly, Kurt shook his head. "No, I am fine... Unless you wanted some of the movies I have."

Noah shook his head. "I've got Netflix, so we can watch what's on there if we get bored."

Kurt nodded. "Do you need anything else or are we heading over?"

"Depends on what you want to eat." Noah said as he drove.

Kurt got a dreamy look in his eyes. "You're going to cook for me?"

Noah shook his head, "Your hollow bone is going to get you in trouble someday."

Kurt started kicking his legs in excitement of the food to come. "Maybe you'll just have to protect me."

Noah smiled fondly, "Always, princess."

Kurt moved over closer to Noah. "So what are you making me?"

Noah laughed, "Didn't I just feed you?"

Kurt pouted in the way that usually got him his way most of the time. "But what about lunch?"

Noah laughed, "Your dad must be in the poor house with that stomach of yours."

Kurt giggled. "My dad says it's a near thing some days."

Noah pulled into the grocery store parking lot. "Okay, we are splitting the bill for groceries."

Kurt snorted. "If you're cooking, I am willing to pay for the whole bill."

Noah smiled as he grabbed a cart. "So what do you want tonight?"

Kurt shrugged. "Anything... I just had your chicken alfredo last night?"

Noah shook his head. "I knew that it was a bad idea teaching that girl my recipe... How about Indian?"

"Sure. I really haven't had Indian food before." Kurt said as he took control of the cart.

Noah shrugged. "It's spicy and not just in the hotness. It's flavorful." Noah looked back at Kurt, "If you don't want to try it, we can have something else."

Kurt shook his head emphatically. "No, you are going to make Indian food."

Noah laughed and jokingly stood at attention to salute Kurt. "Yes, princess, whatever you say, princess."

Kurt nodded seriously. "Now, that's the kind of attitude I like to hear. Now, go make me lunch."

Noah raised an eyebrow and took a menacing step towards Kurt. Kurt let a few of the giggles he was restraining out as he took a step way from Noah and the cart. Noah smiled evilly at Kurt and tried to lunge towards him, but the small soprano was nothing if not agile on his feet. Kurt easily got away from Noah, ran down the aisle, and ducked into the next one. Kurt didn't care that it wasn't proper for once. It didn't matter that people were staring at him. He was having the type of fun he hadn't had since before his mother died. The kind of fun that was missing from his life for a long time.

The trip turned into a game. Kurt would grab food that he enjoyed and try to get past Noah and into the cart. Noah had to defend the cart, but at times left it vulnerable to attack since he had to gather food for dinner. All in all, Noah won since he was very good at grabbing the food before it hit the cart. Kurt didn't feel so heartbroken about his defeat, since he was able to smuggle some cheesecake into the cart when Noah was not looking. Kurt smirked at Noah when the cheesecake went down the belt. Noah shook his head and started to put the bagged groceries back into the cart. Kurt handed his card to cashier while Noah was not looking. By the time the darker skinned boy realized what had happened, Kurt was signing the receipt and smiling widely at Noah. Noah just shook his head and started to push the cart to his truck.

After the car was loaded and they were on their way, Kurt waited with anticipation as he watched the houses go by. He had never really thought about Noah's actual home, other than the abstract idea of it being near or far from his own. The very notion that he was going to be in the house of his former... Well, 'largest annoyance' did seem to ring true, followed quickly by 'bully.' But bully was a word that seemed more for Dave, than it was for Noah.

They pulled into the parking lot for town homes and Noah got out. Kurt slowly unbuckled his seatbelt as he looked around. He had never been to this area before. It wasn't that he was sheltered or anything but most of his friends seemed to enjoy coming over to his place rather than the other way around. The neighborhood had the feel of a white picket fence, but without the picket fence. Noah seemed to even know his neighbors well enough to say hello and call them by their names.

Kurt finally got out and grabbed a few bags as Noah led them to his house. It was a corner home with an area that seemed fenced off, probably for a garden. There was a red screen door that Noah opened without using a key. He did dig out his keys for the front door, though, and almost lost a bag of groceries in the little dance to get them from the bottom of his pocket. He must not have known how funny he looked shimmering this way and that as he groped his pockets while trying to hold onto the food because he was shocked when Kurt started to laugh at him. Noah just glared at the smaller boy and walked into his house.

Kurt came into the house and immediately took off his shoes since he saw Noah do it. As he glanced around the large front room, he saw a very warm touch to the house. The color scheme was reds and browns with pictures lining the room. Kurt moved to the corner where there was a children's drawing as prominently displayed as the oil painting next to it. Kurt moved to the table under the children's drawing. It was a collection of art projects from different ages. It was clear that these pieces were loved from the pristine condition that they were in. He noticed a pathetic little bowl with the small finger indentations from the shaper of the clay clear from far way. Kurt could remember making a bowl just like that when he was little.

Noah came up behind Kurt. "My mom always said our disasters aka art projects were some of the most amazing pieces of work she had ever seen. She still has my sister's macaroni project on the refrigerator."

Kurt nodded but was in his own little world. He was thinking about how his life was before his mom passed away. He probably was as happy as Noah was when he was young enough to make a clay bowl like this one. He probably was running around and making horrible art projects and giving them to his mom too.

Kurt looked at the mantel and saw the family pictures. Noah was standing, he holding his sister close as his mom was watching over both of them. If his mom had made it, would there be pictures like this on their mantel, instead of random pictures of cars? Would there be a table laid out with all his art projects in their living room next to the big screen TV? Would his dad feel happier with having an openly gay son if his mother supported him?

Kurt was jerked out of his musing by Noah lightly touching the small of his back. He tried to smile at the bulkier boy, but he must have failed considering the frown that Noah gave him. Noah draped an arm onto his shoulders and pulled the compact boy to his body for a few minutes. Kurt appreciated that Noah did not want to talk about why he was so down but, oddly, he was sure that Noah knew exactly what had made him so upset.

Eventually, Noah said, "Come on, I'll show you the rest of the house." He let go of Kurt and started to move towards the stairs. Kurt's hand darted forward and grabbed Noah's. After Noah let him go, he didn't feel as in control of his emotions any more. It was a risky move, since most guys do not hold hands with other guys, but he hoped that Noah would allow it since he needed to so badly right now. Noah's reaction was comforting. All Noah did was tighten his grip on Kurt's hand as he led Kurt through the house, as if holding Kurt's hand was no big deal.

They walked up the stairs to the top floor of the house. "We can't go into my mom's room, because it looks like a tornado hit. She would be pissed if she knew I took you in there and if there is one person I don't want to piss off, it's my mom." When they reached to the top of the stairs, Noah pointed to the door at the end of the hallway. "That's my mom's room. The one next to it is mine but this one is my sister's. I think you'll like it." Noah opened the door at the top of the stairs and allowed Kurt in.

Kurt let go of Noah's hand as he started to explore the room. The bedroom wasn't the typical girl's bedroom, or at least not what Kurt thought the typical little girls bedroom would look like. Sure, it was painted a light purple and had some stuffed animals here and there, but it wasn't cluttered and filled with toys and cloths. No, the main part of the room was mostly completely bare. The room seemed massive, because of the large open space in the middle of the room that looked like a dance practice area. There were mirrors on two of the side of the open area and mounted speakers in the wall that were attached to a desktop computer. Kurt walked past the open space to the corner where there were shelves lined with awards. He started to look at the engravings and noticed that there were all different kinds of dance competition awards. It seemed like this little girl was a very focused and talented one.

As he leaned against the doorway, Noah excitedly spoke about his sister. "My sister is amazing on her feet. It's probably because she didn't have a first step, but a first dance move." Noah smiled. "I was singing some song from the radio that she like and she started to bounce around while holding onto the edge of the table. I started to sway side to side like she was and she let go of the table long enough to take two step towards me as she bounced side to side. My mom started laughing as she watched the two of us dancing round the room the rest of the night as I tried to get her to do it again. My mom got the whole thing on camera, because she loved recording us being odd around the house. I think she also has my first steps somewhere in the massive mess that is her home video closet." Noah moved up to Kurt. "You would think the woman would be tired of seeing us after living with us for so long but," Noah shrugged, "no, she just had to get everything on camera so we can live it again and again."

Kurt turned to Noah. "Does your mom have you to singing when you were young?"

Noah rolled his eyes and started to walk out of his sister's room. "My mom probably has the first time I hummed something she thought was a song. She has gotten better about not recording every moments of our lives, but with what was going on when Sarah was born, it makes sense that she wanted to record every happy moment." Noah stopped in front his bedroom door and Kurt stopped right behind him.

Noah turned to look at Kurt. "Um... not that many people have been to my place so... yeah." Noah opened the door. "This is my room."

Kurt walked in slowly thinking that there was probably going to be a mess everywhere. It was kind of messy but it seemed like a logical chaos or a chaotic logic, one of the two. There were books stacked next to paper, which was next to other books, next to CDs, next to more books. The only part of the room that seemed well maintained was the corner, where there was a stack of magazines that seemed to be in chronological order next to an old fashion desk. This was old enough to have a roll-top coming down covering whatever Noah had hidden underneath.

Kurt was about to open the top when Noah came up next to him and caressed the table. "It was my grandfather's... Well, it was really my great-grandfather's, but I never met him and it was my granddad that gave it to me so I just call it my granddad's." Noah looked up from looking at the desk fondly with slight annoyance. "On my mom's side. If it was my dad's..." Noah laughed without humor, "Well, my dad won't have given it to me, even if his dad had told him to." Noah gently patted the desk. "My grandpa, on my mom's side, use to sit at the desk, tell me stories and would even write some of the ones I liked down for me. He was a school teacher, so I guess it fit, but I think he would have been an amazing writer. He used to tell tales that were so realistic that it was like you were there." Noah pointed to the stack of magazines next to the table. "He even had some of his short stories published, but he loved teaching. He was the one who taught me my ABCs and counting. Before he passed away, he even somehow gave me his addiction to books." Noah smiled fondly. "I always wanted to be like him when I was little, and I even told him once." Noah started laughing lightly.

Kurt smiled softly. "What did he say?"

Noah changed his voice to be a little deeper. "'Well, that's a silly thing to say. I thought I did a good job at being myself, so why don't you be yourself? There's no need for two of me but maybe one of you might make the difference.'" Noah laughed. "He was a smart man and quick on his toes." Noah draped his arm over Kurt's shoulder. "Come on, there is still more of the house to see."

Kurt looked back at the closed desk and swore that he was going to figure out what Noah was hiding. Kurt was lead back down the stairs, turned left and lead through a short corridor. "This is the kitchen, as you can see with the stove and everything. I'm probably going to start on the chicken right now, so it can marinade, then I will show you the rest of the house." Noah moved over to where he left the chicken. "Pull up a chair and keep me company. It's the least you can do since I'm cooking."

Kurt went to the breakfast table and grabbed a chair. As he sat daintily on it, Noah grabbed an apron, threw it on, and washed his hands. The taller boy grabbed a wooden cutting board and started to take the little bit of fat off of the chicken. Kurt looked at him oddly. Noah was in perfect shape and he was young. He didn't seem like the type of person who would worry about a little fat.

Noah smiled at the bemused face. "I've never liked the look of fat. I know that seems weird but never really enjoyed the sizzling sound of fat on a stove, either."

"What about bacon?" Kurt thought about the fried fat deliciousness that came in amazing little strips.

Noah shrugged and started to cut the chicken into cubes. "If it's the only thing around, I'll eat it but I try to stay away from it. My grandma would also kill me if she knew I ate pig. The whole kosher thing. I'm not strict or anything, but every once in a while I feel guilty for not being a better Jew."

Kurt nodded because he no idea what to say. He wasn't religious at all. He was an atheist, and there was very little evidence for him that there was some great being who was all knowing. Sure, there were still mysteries that couldn't be solved but before Newton, they didn't understand gravity so there could be some scientific explanation of even those weird unexplainable things.

Noah continued to cut but called out to Kurt. "Hey, princess. I need you to do me a favor."

"Okay." Kurt answered. Noah had been nice enough to keep him company and feed him today so he was high on list of people Kurt owed.

Noah nodded his head towards the cabinet next to his feet. "I need a big bowl from down there so I can toss the chicken in with the spices. It needs be large." Noah stepped back. "I would have gotten it myself but I've got chicken guts all over my fingers."

Kurt nodded and crouched down to look in the cabinet. He found a large bowl as soon as he opened the door. He got up quickly and turned around. He came face to face with Noah. The only thing really between the two of them was the bowl. Noah's eyes seemed a little darker in this light than they normally did. Kurt thought that they looked really nice like that. Kurt took a step back so the bowl would stop digging into Noah's stomach. "Um... Here's your bowl."

Noah shook his head as if he had been in a daze. He then pointed to the area next to the cutting board. "Put it to down there. I want to put the chicken in before I wash my hands."

After Kurt put the bowl down, Noah angled the cutting boards and pushed the chicken into the bowl. He then washed his hands and reached into the cabinet above his head. Taking about seven to eight different spice boxes, he started to put the seasonings into the bowl and mixing until the chicken was coated.

"So I picked up this recipe over a year ago, when I was in Cleveland with my mom and my sister. The three of us were there for a dance competition my sister was in but we had some time on our hands so we started to explore. We accidently walked into this Indian shop with all sorts of spices all over the place and I got curious."

Kurt had taken his seat again and was amazed how at ease Noah was with cooking food that was as exotic as Indian cuisine. The powered spices weren't even labeled. Noah had to smell two of the spices before putting them in. He turned to the fridge and got a finger of ginger then turned to the pantry and grabbed a few cloves of garlic. He took the skin off of both and started to grate them into the chicken bowl.

" Lucky for me, there was a lady working behind the counter that thought I was cute for being so amazed by the spices. She grabbed a few of them and started to tell me how they were used in cooking. She was nice enough to write down the recipe for the chicken that she told me, and I made it the next day. It was awesome. I called her a few times to get more recipes, which I think amused her a lot." Noah looked up from his grating to look at Kurt. "I mean when you look at me you don't think, 'he'd be good in the kitchen.' She still send me some recipes by email every once in a while. They usually have a long ingredient list but aren't that hard to actually make." Noah started to mix the chicken and the new seasonings. Noah covered the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, and put it into the fridge and washed his hands.

Kurt started to squirm in his seat. "So when will it be ready to eat?"

Noah laughed. "It needs to sit for at least four hours, and since it is," Noah checked the clock on top of the stove, "only twelve thirty right now, I would say it would be ready about five or six to start cooking and dinner a little before seven. Why? Are you hungry now?"

As if be cue, Kurt's started to growl much to the horror of the petite boy. Kurt's face turned red as he tried to look everywhere but at Noah. "Maybe a little."

Noah started to laugh and reached into his fridge to make Kurt a sandwich. It only took him a minute to make a large turkey sandwich with Mayo. Kurt noticed on the label of the bottle, kosher was prominently displayed. Apparently, it wasn't just Noah that subscribed to the kosher ideals. Noah pushed the plate with the sandwich towards Kurt and put away the food. He washed his hands for a fourth time and dried them on a towel. "So that's the pantry. Feel free to grab any food that you feel like from there. You'll run me ragged if I keep getting up to get you food."

Kurt had already started to eat his sandwich so he just glared at the bigger boy. The sandwich was wonderful. It had everything that Kurt normally wanted in a sandwich. It had lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cheese, and cucumbers. The only thing that would have made it better was avocado. He was pretty sure he would be fine until dinner... Okay, maybe he would need some snacks but he usually was an eating machine on the weekends so it wasn't out of the normal for him.

Noah started to walk out of the kitchen. "Come on, I'll finish the tour so we can watch some TV."

Kurt looked at Noah then his sandwich causing the wide receiver to smile. "You can keep your sandwich with you as we walk around. Mom's not here to say anything."

Kurt grabbed the sandwich and the plate, to insure that there weren't any crumbs everywhere. He followed Noah as he walked back to the main room. "Well, this is the family room. You already saw it before, so let's move to the basement." Noah moved back to the corridor and opened the door, that opened to the basement. The basement was more of a theater room than a basement. There was a TV with a DVD player and receiver hooked up to it. The TV wasn't as big as Kurt's and the stereo system didn't look as good as his either but definitely workable. The walls were lined with movies.

Kurt moved to walls and started to glance through the DVDs. They ranged from children movies to black and white movies. When Kurt saw Wizard of Oz, he ran a finger down the spine of the cover and kept moving. He eventually found Fight Club, which he remembered Noah once told him was good. He pulled the movie out and handed it to Noah who was just a little behind him.

Noah took the movie and moved to the DVD player. "We can watch that for now. You can grab another one after."

Kurt put the empty plate on the coffee table and sat down on the couch. He sat in the middle as it was his spot on his sofa, and Noah sat to the right of him. Noah was leaning against the armrest and started to use the universal remote to start the movie. The movie took a little over two hours. Kurt had moved to the left so he had the open armrest to lean on. He enjoyed the movie. At the end, where Brad Pitt turned be Edward Norton's alter-ego, Kurt's jaw dropped. When the credits started to roll, he turned to Noah. "That was a great movie." Though, one of the main reasons why he like it was the oiled down topless Brad Pitt fights

Noah smirked. "I told you so. You should listen to me more often. So another movie, or do you want to watch some TV?"

Kurt yawned. Though he had enough sleep last night, the fact that it had been on the floor was getting to him. He started to lay down on the sofa, using the armrest as a pillow. "Either way. I'm kind of tired."

Noah smirked, "Did the girls keep you up all night? Was there a lot of touching and feeling? You don't have to be strong. I can handle all the details but talk slowly... And start with the part where they ripped off your shirt and made you do unspeakable things. The unspeakable things are the best part."

Kurt groaned and kicked out his leg toward Noah.

Noah caught his foot and start to laughed. He pushed the leg off of himself and got off the couch. "I'm going to go pee. Do you want anything from upstairs?"

Kurt shook his head and started to curl up even more. "I'm fine." Kurt closed his eyes.

"Do you want me to put on a movie?"

"Wizard of Oz..." Kurt said as he drifted off.

GLEEGLEEGLEEGLEE

Kurt awoke up to the screeching of monkeys. He opened his eyes to see that they weren't just any monkeys, but the evil flying monkeys of the evil wicked witch. He immediately woke up, since this was the best part, where the monkeys take the Scarecrow's head and Dorothy confronts and the wicked witch. Even though he had watched it hundreds of time, the movie still got to him. He must have moved a lot in his sleep since he sat up in the middle of the couch with Noah giving him a bemused look next to him. As he watched the scene where Dorothy accidently kills the witch, he turned away from the screen and looked at Noah. Noah had such a fond look on his face that Kurt blushed and quickly turned away.

Noah was his very heterosexual friend, who would probably dump him if he even thought anything but the most innocent things about him. He was just lucky that Noah seemed so at ease with him and wasn't taking the extra attention he was probably giving him badly. Kurt frowned deeply as he thought about how he had acted with Finn. Neiman Marcus, he had pimped out his dad so he could spend more time with him. Kurt thought about the last few days and realized that he had already subconsciously been sending signals about how he felt about Noah. This could be disastrous.

Noah's voice broke through Kurt's panic attack. "Princess, what's with the face? I thought you liked this movie."

Kurt made himself look at Noah and he knew that he was blushing. "It's my favorite. I just had a horrible thought."

Noah gave him a look full with concern. "Do you want to share? It could help."

Kurt shook his head. "No, I'm okay."

Noah wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and pulled him closer to him. "Don't worry so much. I'm sure it'll be fine."

Kurt tensed for second before relaxing into the hug. Kurt realized that he had to be careful not to change how he acted, or otherwise Noah might notice that he had the beginning of a crush on him. Then again, he didn't really know how long this crush had been going on. Sure, he always appreciated that Noah was a very handsome guy, but at the same time, he had just gotten over Finn. As horrible as it was to get over the QB, he knew if he lost Noah it would hurt much worse. Noah had seen him at his worst and stuck around. He was a great friend and most of the reasons why he made a great friend were probably the same reasons why he now liked Noah. Kurt stayed next to Noah until he heard the other boy's phone beep.

Noah sighed. "We have to get up. Our dinner should almost be done."

Kurt got up and created some distance between himself and his new crush. Noah got up and started to walk up the stairs. "You can come up with me, or I can bring food down to you. Which do you want?"

Kurt moved towards the stairs. He knew if he was left alone for too long he would just start thinking about his feelings for Noah. It was better if he stayed busy. Noah waited until Kurt had reached the bottom of the steps before he started moving. "I stopped the movie half way through when I realized you were completely out. I did some work around the house and started dinner. I only came back down a few minutes before you got up."

Kurt looked up at Noah walking up the stairs. The thoughts he was having about his friend's rear were not so platonic. He felt his face blush wildly again. He had to get a handle on that or Noah would quickly find out that he liked him.

As they reached the first floor, the smell of the food filled the air. It was a spicy, rich smell that over powered everything else. The smell was intoxicating. Kurt was almost in heaven with the delicious aroma that surrounded him. Kurt quickly moved to the kitchen and eagerly grabbed the plate that Noah had handed to him. He watched as Noah opened the lid of the rice cooker and the stream came out of the top. Noah put rice on both of their plates before taking off the lid of the chicken. The smell was even stronger. Kurt saw that there was a reddish gravy all around the chicken. Noah handed him a fork and went to the fridge. He came back with two mini wine bottles.

Kurt shook his head, "I don't drink."

Noah laughed. "I heard about what happened last time but honestly, Indian food tastes better with a little bit of wine."

Kurt looked at the wine with suspicion.

Noah held it out for Kurt, "One drink isn't going to do anything and if you don't want to finish the whole thing, just give it to me. Plus after the week you just had, you probably need it."

Kurt grabbed the wine allowing Noah to grab his food and wine as they got ready to go back downstairs. Kurt put his plate down, opened the small bottle of wine, and took a sip. It was quite good.

Noah spoke up as he watched Kurt smile a little at the taste. "It's a Riesling. It probably isn't the best to go with Indian food, but the slightly sweet taste seems to work well against the spiciness of the chicken."

The two of them walked back down to the basement. Kurt was about to go back to the corner seat he had been at when Noah's voice stopped him. "Hey, sit in the middle so I can move the table and we can use it for a dinner table."

Kurt nodded and hoped his face didn't blush again. Noah put his food on the couch and put his drink on one of the end tables as he moved the coffee table. When he was done moving the furniture, he turned to Kurt as he put his food and wine on to the table. "What do you want to watch now? I just got Zombieland. It looks pretty good."

Kurt shrugged. He was too busy worrying about how to act to care about what was on the TV.

Noah popped in the movie and walked back to his seat. Grabbing his drink, Noah moved it towards Kurt. "A toast."

Kurt grabbed his wine. "A toast? A toast to what?"

Noah grinned. "A toast to us? We've come a long way in the last few weeks."

Kurt smiled. "A toast to us!"

Noah clinked the bottles together. "May it last forever." He pulled his glass back and took a large drink.

Kurt blushed, "May we last forever." He dropped his head back as he took a large gulp. He felt the warmth spread through his body and looked at Noah. "May we last forever."


	25. Chapter 25

Edited by I AM AIR

* * *

Kurt woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and his limbs feeling as if they were made of lead. He opened his eyes, only to slam them shut when he realized that he was now allergic to light. A part of him wondered if death would be better than this. He turned to check if maybe the light would be less of a problem if he turned around, only to be confronted with a solid mass. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that the solid mass was none other than Noah 'Puck' Puckerman. Kurt blinked. No, it was still Noah asleep right next to him. Actually, it was worse than that. It looked like Noah had decided that Kurt was his bed warmer, since the larger boy was wrapped so tightly around him. Kurt tried not to tense, since he was worried that any sudden movement would wake the slumbering boy up.

How the heck did this happen? Kurt tried to think back to the night before. He remembered watching Zombieland and enjoying the movie. He then got a flash of moving closer to Noah since he looked so comfy to lean on. The next thing Kurt remembered was being in his lap... What? That couldn't be right! Noah wouldn't let him do that. Okay, so in the past Noah had let him but still.

Kurt slowly started to inch away from the other glock. Every time Noah started to move he paused until the boy settled and started again. Slowly, he finally got out of the bed only to start pacing around Noah's room. Kurt's eyes were drawn to Noah as he slept.

That lap thing wasn't too bad, right? He could easily say it was the alcohol and it would be believable. He could just be very touchy-feely person when he was drinking. The next memory that came to Kurt blew that idea out of the water. He whispered it to the room since he was so shocked at what had happened. "Oh by all that is fashionable, no. No. No! I did NOT kiss Noah."

Sadly, Kurt could not get the image of Noah's beautiful eyes up close as Noah was laughing last night at something that Kurt was pretty sure he said. The chocolate hues became even more intoxicating when they were dancing in happiness. The next thing Kurt remembered was the feel of Noah's lips against his. His lips had been soft but unresponsive, from what Kurt remembered. But, try as he might, he couldn't remember what happened next. He certainly could not remember how he ended up in Noah's bed next to him. Kurt glanced down. Or in Noah's clothes for that matter. What had happened last night? He knew that Noah was not gay, so at least he was sure nothing happened, except Noah politely turning him down, but that still didn't explain a lot about this morning.

Kurt opened the door to Noah's room as quietly as possible to make sure that if it squeaked it wouldn't wake up Noah. He turned around and slowly started to close it making sure that it didn't slam shut even when a voice from behind him almost made him scream.

"Kurt Hummel? Is that you?" A kind woman's voice said behind him.

Kurt almost slammed the door and was sure he was red with embarrassment. "Yes?" He squeaked then cleared his voice and answered again in as calm as he was able to at this moment. "I mean, yes."

Kurt didn't know if his morning could become any weirder as a woman, who he assumed was Noah's mom enfolded him in a hug. "Oh sweetie, it's been too long since I've seen you. Come down and let's have a chat. Noah won't get up this side of noon if he can help it, so it's no use staying up here and waiting." The woman linked their arms and gently started to pull Kurt down the stairs.

Kurt looked back at the door he had just closed and realized that he had just jumped from the frying pan into the fire. He wished he could rewind until last night, before he started to drink with Noah. Back when he knew Noah was still a friend and not this new time where he was in the kitchen with Noah's mom wondering if he should ask her to take him home before Noah woke up anger about what Kurt had done to him last night. Kurt still couldn't believe he had ruined his new friendship over a kiss that he knew would lead to nothing. Darn alcohol. Kurt swore to himself that he was never going to drink again, especially since it had cost him a really great friend.

Noah's mom was too busy taking food out of the fridge to notice how upset Kurt was. She had started boiling some eggs then popped the toast into the toaster before turning back to Kurt, who was awkwardly standing near the entrance of the kitchen. She smiled brightly at him and took a few steps towards him. "Now that breakfast is started, start telling me how you've been."

Kurt didn't know what to say. He didn't know this woman, but she acted as if he had been very close to her at some point. Kurt didn't want to disappoint her but what could he say to this stranger? Telling her about what had happened at her house when she was out of town was definitely out of the question. "Umm..."

Noah's mom looked at him for a second before realizing the problem. "You don't remember me? Oh my, I thought that since Noah brought you over that you two had become friends again." She started to move towards the table of art projects and crouched down in front of it. There were photo albums on the bottom portion of the table and she started to flip through them quickly.

Kurt followed her, a little unsure of what to say. It seemed to be a big deal that he had forgotten, but he really didn't even know Noah until sixth grade and he wasn't really friends with him back then. It made no sense that his mom would know Kurt. "Mrs. Puckerman..."

Noah's mom interrupted him without looking up from her search. "Actually, I go by my maiden name now days. Bohm but you can call me Gabriella or Ella."

Kurt nodded. He never really felt comfortable calling most adults by their first name, unless they insisted like Carole had. "Miss Bohm, I can't really remember you."

Ella must have found what she had been looking for, since she smiled at Kurt and got up. "Oh, I realize that. Come sit with me." Ella moved to the sofa in the living room.

Kurt felt as if he had no choice and moved to the sofa. He sat down next to Miss Bohm as she flipped through her photo album. Kurt suddenly saw a picture that made his eyes widen. He unconsciously shot his hand out and stopped Miss Bohm from flipping the page. "Why do you have a picture of me and Tan-Tan?"

Miss Bohm seemed to be laughing lightly at Kurt as she answered. "Oh, so you do remember him."

Kurt got a little annoyed. "Of course, I remember him." Kurt started to run a finger on the face of his long lost friend. "He was my best friend. We used to play together every day in the park then we would go to each other's house and watch movies. He loved Wizard of Oz but he let me watch, what he called, girly Disney movies. He even held my hand through the scary parts." Kurt felt his eyes start to well up. "He moved away when I was eight and I really needed him. I don't know where he went."

The pale, skinny woman put the photo album on the seat next to her and grabbed Kurt in a hug. "Oh you sweet child, don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry that we had to move. I was scared about what Noah's father would do if he came back to the house, so we left in a hurry. Jacob already destroyed most of my personal things, saying that people were giving me the wrong idea about him after I asked for a divorce." She started to rub Kurt's back as she continued. "Noah wanted to find you but considering everything that was happening at the time, I let it fall by the wayside. I did try to see you after your mother passed away, but you and your dad were out of town quite often. I didn't take Noah with me because he was already so upset about losing his father, I didn't want to upset him anymore if we didn't get to see you."

Kurt was confused. She was making no sense. He pushed away from the woman even though she was trying to comfort him. "You mean my Tan-Tan is Noah? That can't be. His name was Nathan."

Miss Bohm sighed. "That was the name his father gave him when he was born. I wanted to name him Noah so as a compromise Noah became his middle name. After his father left, he refused to be called Nathan anymore. He wouldn't answer to it and kept saying that his name was Noah. Everyone finally gave in and let him use his middle name instead.

"Though, I realize now that Nathan was more fitting than Noah." Kurt gave her an odd look. "Nathan means god given while Noah means peaceful. I love my son but peaceful is something he rarely is."

Kurt didn't really care about the name. He had found his Tan-Tan. His Tan-Tan was upstairs and he had probably ruined any chances of them being friends last night. He tried to hold back his tears. "But my dad looked for you after my mom passed away."

As she gave him a soft smile, Miss Bohm laid a hand on Kurt's leg. "Sweetie, we moved as soon as we could after Jacob left. After I threw him out, he became more and more irrational. He came by all the time and threatened me and Noah. We had to make a clear break from everything that tied us to him."

"But you stayed in town." Kurt replied.

Noah's mom nodded. "My father was here and he kept us pretty well hidden. We stayed with him for a while before we were able to move out. Jacob put us in debt, hoping the financial obligations would break me so I would have to go back to him. It took me quite a while to get the house sold and after that I had to work two jobs just to pay off the credit cards. I was finally able to put a down payment on this house a few months after that."

Kurt nodded. It made some sense but at the same time... "Why didn't Noah tell me when he saw me in school? Did he forget about me?"

Shaking her head, Miss Bohm answered. "Oh sweetie, Noah never forgot about you. He had your picture in his room for the longest time after you lost touch. Well, until sixth grade. I still remember the first day of class that year. He came home so upset. He snarled all night long. I tried to let him get it out of his system but when he snapped at his sister, I sent him to his room. I went up to check on him and I saw him holding the picture of the two of you. He must have known I was there since he softly said, 'He forgot about me, Mom. My Toto forgot about me.' The poor thing was so heartbroken." She paused. "After that, the picture disappeared for a few years there. I didn't even hear about you again until about a year ago. He didn't seem so happy about something and he started to talk about a boy named Hummel. A little while after that, the picture reappeared from wherever it was hidden."

She smiled widely at Kurt. "And for the last few weeks, you have again been the only topic of discussion." She got up and started to move to the kitchen motioning Kurt to follow her. "'Kurt said this,' 'Kurt did that,' and 'Princess made me do this' though I don't know why he decided to call you princess."

Kurt blush wildly. This had to be the most confusing morning of his life and it didn't seem to be getting any better.

Noah's mom started to laugh. "I see that you still haven't stopped blushing." She turned the stove off and let the eggs sit in the hot water as she grabbed the toast. She went into the fridge and took the strawberry jam out, handing it and a piece of toast to Kurt. "Do you remember how Noah used to introduce you to the other kids when you two were little?"

Kurt nodded and smiled lightly. "He used to standing in front of me and say, 'I'm Nathan and this is my Tomato.' It was a wonder that name didn't stick."

Miss Bohm snorted. "You apparently don't remember what Noah did to any of the other kids who call you that. The amount of fights that boy got into because he decided that you were his friend and only his friend was astonishing. I was sure he was going to become a hoodlum."

Kurt thought it was wise to keep quiet about how Noah hadn't really grown out of the imitation routine but just had found better ways of covering up his assaults. Miss Bohm looked at the clock and shook her head. "Noah told me he had to be at your house at ten for some glee session and the boy is still asleep. Could you be a dear and go wake him up for me?"

Kurt froze. He knew that there was no way he couldn't go upstairs now. Well, there was no way without being rude. "Of course, Miss Bohm."

Noah's mom smiled widely at him and turned back to the fridge to get some more food out for breakfast.

Kurt slowly made his way to former best friend's room. It didn't seem fair that he had finally found his childhood friend, only to lose him again. Kurt put his hand on Noah's door and let his hand just lay on the bedroom door for a second before he opened it.

Noah was sleeping in the same position that Kurt had left him in. Kurt was about to walk over to him when he noticed the desk in the corner again. He walked by the bed and went to the desk. He pushed the roll-top up with enough force that it made a thud.

There was a picture of Tan-Tan and Toto. Kurt knew that particular photo so well since it was the same one he had in his bedroom. The two of them were curled up together on the floor next to each other, smiling as they both colored on the same picture. They didn't even seem to be looking at the picture since they were giggling. There were marker lines on both of their faces from earlier that day when they had realized that coloring on each other was more fun than on paper.

Kurt looked at the picture and started to get angry. How could Noah keep this from him? He turned to the bed and marched up to the edge. He waited for a second and pushed Noah as hard as he could, causing the larger boy to almost fall out of bed.

Noah woke up immediately and glared at Kurt from the corner of the bed. "What the hell was that for?"

Kurt moved to the side of the bed where Noah was and raised his hand to slap Noah. The other boy must have realized Kurt's intentions since he grabbed Kurt hand, pulled him onto the bed and pinned him. "Again, what the hell?"

Kurt tried to kick out but Noah had cover most of his body with his own so there was very little wiggle room. "When were you going to tell me you were Tan-Tan? Were you just having a good laugh? You knew I missed him and you said nothing. I know you saw our picture in my room."

Noah froze for a second then got off of Kurt and the bed in order to start pacing his room. "I was going to tell you soon but it started to get complicated. Okay?"

Kurt sat up and curled into a ball. He put his face between his legs and wrapped his arms around them. "Why didn't you tell me in sixth grade? I missed you so much. Your mom said you saw me but you didn't say anything to me. All I remember is you started to pick on me that year. You were around all the time but you never said you were Tan-Tan. You just picked on me." Kurt had a sorrowfully tone in his voice.

Kurt could feel Noah hovering next to him. "I know. It's just that I thought you forgot about me. You didn't even know who I was. I got so mad that you didn't care about me that I started to make sure you would remember me in one way or another."

"How was I supposed to know it was you? You were wearing weird rapper clothes and calling yourself Noah. You even buzzed your hair weird. My Tan-Tan had softy curly hair and wore normal people cloths. He didn't look like an extra from the latest Ludacris video."

Kurt felt the bed next to him sink. He heard Noah speak from very close. "I know. I get that now but back then it seemed like a slap in the face that you didn't recognize me. I had pictured meeting you again a hundred times when I was little and when you didn't remember me, I was pissed and like most little boys, my only way to make me feel better was by making the person who hurt me hurt. It wasn't mature but I was like ten."

Kurt looked at Noah. The large boy was hunched over with his face in his hands. He looked as miserable as Kurt felt. Kurt hesitantly reached out to Noah and started to rub his back. Noah looked up at him and Kurt could easily see the hurt that Noah must have felt back then. Kurt moved closer to Noah and wrapped himself around him from behind. "I'm sorry that I didn't know who you were. I really did miss you. My dad said that he looked for you and he couldn't find you. He went to your house and he called your phone but you were gone. I didn't know you were still in Lima. I thought you left me for good."

Noah grabbed Kurt's arm and pulled the smaller boy into his lap. "I didn't know that. It was crazy after my dad left but I tried to find you. I would go to the park all the time and make my mom detour to it just to check if you are there. My asshole of a father ripped up all my mom's phone numbers on the night she kicked him out. Yours was in there."

Kurt leaned against Noah a little tense, considering what had happened the night before. He sat there a minute before he asked Noah hesitantly. "Are we okay?"

Noah nodded. "Only if you're not mad at me. Honestly Kurt, I didn't mean to keep it a secret but when we started hanging out again, I didn't want you to get upset with me. I was already working against being a prick to you for years at that point and I didn't know what I would do if you didn't want to be friends with me because I was Tan-Tan. I didn't know why you disappear just that you did. That's kind of why I was so willing to let you take over my life so quickly. When we met up at the diner, it was like all that middle mess never happened. It was like we were Toto and Tan-Tan. Like it was always supposed to be like that. I wanted to make sure you were going to be friends with me even if I was Tan-Tan before I said anything."

Noah paused for a few seconds before continuing. "I didn't know why you left. I thought I did something wrong and you left me. I mean you and my dad left me about the same time so I thought that maybe I just wasn't good even for either one of you back then. Especially you since my dad was a grade A asshole and he didn't deserve me or my mom after what he did. But you were always so nice and sweet to me and I didn't know why you stopped coming to see me. When I saw you again and you didn't remember me, I was sure it was because you made yourself forget me."

Kurt instantly wrapped his arms around Noah's neck pulling himself as close as he could to Noah. "No. No. My mom was sick so we couldn't go to the park, and then she couldn't be near sick people so they barely let me see her since I was so young and germ invested. I missed you so much but my mom was sick and I wanted to make her better. I never forgot about you. I watched Wizard of Oz every night because of you. I fell in love with Wicked because it reminded me of you. I wanted to find you again but I didn't know how. I missed you so much." Kurt could feel the tears coming down his face even though he wasn't sobbing. He couldn't even figure out if he was happy or sad or upset. He just felt so overwhelmed.

Kurt felt Noah's hands running up and down his back trying to calm him down. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere as long as you want me here. Okay? I'm not going to disappear again. Just calm down for me, princess. I didn't even know that your mom was gone until last year. I forgave you as soon as I heard. I know it's hard to lose a parent. I didn't know she died until you told me. I wish I could have been there for you."

Kurt started to calm down but refused to let go of his hold on Noah. He took a deep breath and re-asked his question. "Are we okay though?"

Noah seemed to tense. "What do you mean?"

Kurt started to freak out. Maybe Noah had forgotten what had happened last night. Maybe he wanted to forget. Maybe he was hoping Kurt had forgotten. Kurt let go of Noah and started to move away. "Nothing. It's nothing. Your mom reminded me that we have to meet Finn at ten so you better get ready."

Noah wrapped his arms around Kurt to stop him from moving. "No, what are you talking about?"

Kurt looked everywhere but at Noah. "Well, I mean last night...After I started drinking, you know...I really shouldn't drink but... Well, I kind of remember kissing you and you didn't seem to kiss back so... Are we okay?" Kurt looked at Noah who looked like he was somewhere between laughing and crying. "I didn't mean it... I meant it... I mean I promise I won't do it again. I promise I won't even look at you in the shower... Not that I did before... I don't look at guys in the shower..." Kurt started to turn red. "Is it too much to ask for the world to just open up and swallow me whole?"

Noah sighed and placed Kurt on the bed next to him. He then walked to the desk, grabbed the chair, and placed it in front of Kurt. "Princess, I've been trying to ask you out all week."

Kurt had been studying the edge of Noah's football jersey, which was huge on him, when Noah's statement made his head snap up. "You've been what? No, you haven't! I would have remembered."

Noah laughed at the indignation that was in Kurt's voice. "I was about to Tuesday night when I was leaving and again on Thursday after you came down from talking to your dad. I was going to ask you Thursday before school too, but Finn fucked that up by showing up here at the crack of dawn. I still want to kick his ass for that one. I almost got the balls to ask you on Friday, when your dad showed up and you missed it all. What do you think last night was?"

Kurt thought back to his week and realized that he had missed a lot of signs, a whole lot of signs. His face turned red. It was as if everyone could tell but him. "Oh Gucci, this is embarrassing."

Noah snorted. "Think about it from my end. One minute, you're flirting with me and the next, you act as if it meant nothing. I couldn't understand what was going on. I also didn't know if it was just because you were my Toto and I just found you again or if I really did like you." He smiled at Kurt. "I'm pretty sure it's the second but the first part doesn't hurt either."

Kurt giggled. "I don't think I knew what was going on either. I mean I've always thought you were cute, but I think I was trying to keep you in the friend category so I wouldn't get hurt. And now that you're Tan-Tan, it kind of makes sense why I was so comfortable with you so quickly. I usually don't act like that."

Noah laughed. "Oh, I know. I've seen you with Karofsky and Finn. You've put both of them through the ringer to get their second chances." He ducked his head a little. "I'm glad you gave me a second chance even if you didn't know who I was."

Kurt snorted. "As if I had a choice. In the last few weeks, you've been there for me when everyone else seemed to be standing on the sidelines. You picked on heck of a time to come back into my life."

Noah shrugged. "I didn't really have a choice either. At Barb's, I just saw you sitting there and felt like it was now or never. Luckily, it worked out for me. Now, I might have a pretty little thing on my arm on Friday nights." Noah laughed as he saw Kurt blush as usual.

"Ummm..." Kurt ducked his head down. "What exactly happened last night?"

Noah raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Kurt shrugged and started to play with the edge of Noah's jersey that he had on. He liked how if fit even though it was way too big on him. It smelled like Noah too since the two of them had slept all curled together like they used to. "I remember watching the movie and slowly moving closer to you then I somehow managed to move myself onto your lap. After that you were laughing at something, I kissed you and you didn't kiss back. How did we end up in here and how did I get into your clothes?"

Noah moved back onto the bed and pulled Kurt onto his lap again. "Okay, I can fill out the gaps. First of all, you said you were cold so you kept moving over closer to me because, according to you, I give off warmth like a furnace. Then since you were basically in the crack between the seats, you decided that the sofa was lumpy and moved onto my lap. I just let you do what you wanted, because it was kind of cute seeing you so tipsy." Noah cupped Kurt's face with one hand and started to caress his cheekbone, causing Kurt to blush and duck his head. "After a few minutes of watching the movie, you turned and started to tell me how I was hot."

Kurt straightened up. "No, I didn't."

Noah laughed. "Oh yes, you did, and you said my hair was soft and that I had pretty eyes then you kissed me."

Kurt glared. "And you didn't kiss me back."

"Princess, you were drunk. I didn't want you to get mad and think I took advantage of you. I already got that with Quinn months ago. I didn't want it to happen with us." Noah said.

Kurt nodded and relaxed against Noah. "It was my first kiss."

Noah shook his head. "No, it wasn't."

Kurt laughed. "Yes, it was mostly because I'm not counting the one with Brit. That was horrible."

Noah shook his head again. "That wasn't your first kiss either."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I think I know when my first kiss was."

"Apparently, you don't because your first kiss was when you were five." Noah said completely seriously.

Kurt's eyes widened. "No, it was not."

Noah nodded. "I woke up from a nap and you were still sleeping so I kissed you to see if it would wake you up."

Kurt's jaw dropped. "You...You... You stole my first kiss? Do you know how much I've been planning my first kiss? I wanted it to be perfect. And now I find out you took it when I was sleep, you... you kiss rapist." Kurt got off of Noah's lap and started pacing.

Noah laughed, got up and wrapped his arms around Kurt. "I'm sorry but it was your fault. You made me watch all those girly movies, and so I was just trying out some of the moves. It was my first kiss too, you know, so I think it counts as a pretty awesome kiss."

Kurt huffed. He thought that was kind of sweet, but he wasn't going to tell Noah that. "I want a redo. It's not fair that you remember my first kisses better than I do."

Noah turned Kurt around and smiled wickedly. "Well, I say they still count but I wouldn't want to disappoint you." He started to duck his head to kiss Kurt.

Laughing, Kurt tried to get away from Noah, "Hey, I expect a date before I give you a kiss."

Noah pulled Kurt closer to him. "I think last night counts as a date."

Kurt almost melted with the husky quality of Noah's voice. "Yeah... Yeah but I didn't know it was a date."

"I cooked and there were movies. That usually means that it's a date, princess." Noah sighed as he saw the slightly pout on Kurt's face. "You really want to go on a real date first, don't you?"

Kurt was of two minds about what to do. On the one hand, Noah was right in front of him and was very willing and eager to kiss him but on the other, he had always wanted to go on a date before he kissed a guy. Yes, it was a little late but a part of him still wanted the fairy tale first date scenario.

He was about to answer when Noah's mom opened the door. The three of them froze until Noah's mom spoke. "So that's what was taking so long." Smiling, she left but kept the door wide open. "You have five minutes to get downstairs before I send in your sister."

Kurt was mortified. Noah's mom had caught them not even kissing, but looking like they were about to kiss. Now, she probably thought they had been going at it in Noah's bed and that's why he was wearing Noah's clothes. Wait a second, why was he in bed with Noah with the larger boy's clothes on? "Um... Why am I in your clothes?"

"Other than that you look hot in my stuff?" Noah asked not letting him go. "Well, it could be that you knocked most of my wine on yourself while you were trying to figure out how to get my mouth to work to your advantage."

Kurt laughed. "And how did I end up in your bed?"

Noah smiled as he started to rub Kurt's back. "After you were soaked with wine, I decided to get grab you some dry clothes. I told you to wait downstairs, but you followed me up the stairs just like you used to." Noah pulled back and moved his hand to Kurt's face. "You looked just like a puppy following his owner."

Kurt jokingly tried to bite Noah and he moved away a little. "You do realize that you've been calling yourself Dorothy for years now?" He giggled.

Noah laughed and shrugged. "Doesn't really matter since I like boys and girls, now does it? Anyway, you started to follow me to my bedroom and I grabbed you a jersey. You saw the clean shirt and stripped as if you were getting money for it. It was hot."

Kurt blushed wildly. He was never going to drink again. "Gucci, please tell me that's it."

Noah laughed. "Well, it was pretty tame after the strip tease. You demanded a pair of pants, even though you looked cute in just the jersey. I went to throw your clothes in the wash and by the time I came back you were asleep on the bed. I figured that we've slept together before so it would be no big deal. Plus, you were in my bed and I didn't think you wanted to put me out for the night."

Kurt felt relieved nothing had happened. He was probably going to freak out tonight when he got home, as it was with the whole dating Noah and Tan-Tan thing. Not to mention, he was trying to figure out how to get out the front door without seeing Noah's mom.

There was giggling at the door. Kurt turned to see a little girl looking at them. "Mom said to come get you. She said that you might be kissing and stuff." She giggled again. "Are you going to kiss again?"

Kurt was red again. "We... I... we didn't kiss."

Noah groaned, let go of Kurt, and walked towards his sister. "Get out of here, munchkin. We'll come out."

Noah's sister giggled again. "But mom said wait until one of you comes with me. She said that you can't be trusted to not do icky stuff."

Noah rolled his eyes. "I'm sure she used the word icky. You can take Kurt since I have to take a shower."

The little brunette girl giggled. "Is he your boyfriend?"

Noah looked back at Kurt. There was a hopeful look in his eyes. "Yeah, I think he is. So are you my boyfriend?"

Kurt didn't think his face could get any warmer but he felt the rest of his blood from his body rush to his face. "Let's try a date first, but I'm leaning towards yes."

Noah turned back to his sister with a smile. "It's a work in progress. I'll give you an update when anything changes. Now out, so I can take a shower." Smiling wickedly, he turned to Kurt as he started to take off his shirt. His tan, toned upper body was revealed in all its glory.

Kurt watched pseudo-boyfriend's strip and kept glancing from the floor to the tone muscles. He knew Noah was doing it on purpose, but he still felt shy about ogling his friend. "Um... I'm going to head down." Kurt brushed by Noah.

Noah laughed softly. "You can look you know."

Kurt nodded his head but still didn't look. He felt his butt get slapped as he moved away and turned back to see a mischievous grin on Noah's face as one of hands started to wander down to the fly of his pants. He turned his head back to face the door, as his face felt like it was becoming permanently red. He looked at the little girl who seemed to be laughing at the two of them.

"You're really red." She said emphatically.

Kurt heard Noah's laughter behind him. He tried to smile as he replied. "It's your brother's fault."

She nodded wisely. "It usually is." She then smiled at Kurt as the two of them walked down the stairs. "My name is Sarah. What's yours?"

Kurt smiled hoping that blood would final return to his body now that Noah was not around. "My name's Kurt."

She smiled up at him. "Like Kurt Vonnegut? He's one of Noah's favorite authors. I think it's because of his name. My name means princess. What does yours mean?"

Kurt laughed at very verbose nature of his escort. "I think I'm named after Kurt Cobain, the singer. My dad loved him when he was younger. I don't really know what it means."

Sarah took over the conversation again. "We should ask mom. She always knows this kind of stuff. She says a name can make a person. She says that's why people change their name when they get famous because they are easier to remember." They were at the breakfast table when she finished talking. "Mom, this is Kurt."

"Yes, I know dear. Where is your brother?" Miss Bohm asked as she started to set the table.

Kurt could not look the woman in the eyes. He was sure he was blushing again. He knew nothing happened between Noah and himself last night but his mom didn't. She probably was thinking horrible, horrible things about Kurt.

Miss Bohm lightly touched Kurt's shoulder causing him to look at her. "Why don't you sit down? Noah usually doesn't take that long in the shower."

Kurt nodded but didn't say a word. Sarah and Miss Bohm seemed to be discussing the little girl's next week of school. They were so comfortable with each other. Miss Bohm seemed to be eagerly waiting to hear what her daughter was saying, not just because it was during the breaks in the game or she was done with the newspaper.

The terrifying tales of the third grade were told as they waited for Noah. Kurt thought about the last time he had been able to talk to a parent like that. It was probably when his mom was still alive. It wasn't that his dad didn't try but it was different. When the conversation turned to Kurt, it jarred him a little.

"So Kurt, how are you doing?" Miss Bohm asked.

"I'm doing well." Kurt said trying to get the attention off of himself. "And you?"

Miss Bohm smiled knowingly. "I'm fine. What about school? Noah says that you are in glee and football."

Kurt nodded. "I am. It keeps me busy."

Miss Bohm started laughing. "When did you become so tight lipped? I remember you being a little chatter box when you were little. You would go on and on. I thought that was the reason why Noah never really spoke. After you got used to someone, you would take over the conversation."

Kurt didn't know what to say. How was he supposed to reply to that? "Um..."

Luckily, he was saved by Noah yelling out from upstairs. "Mom, there's no clean towels in the bathroom!"

Miss Bohm shook her head. "Sarah, go grab one of the towels from the laundry basket and give it to your brother."

Sarah quickly went to grab her brother's towel, leaving Kurt and Miss Bohm alone. Kurt kept his eyes fixed on the empty plate in front of him until Noah's mom spoke. "Kurt sweetie, don't be so nervous. I've known you since you were little."

Kurt could feel her looking at him but still jumped when he felt her touch his arm. He looked up to see her looking very concerned.

"Are you worried about what I walked in on earlier?" She asked softly.

Kurt could feel his hand start to shake a little.

Miss Bohm sighed. "Oh sweetie, don't worry about it. You're both teenagers and so you are a little hot under the collar. It's not abnormal."

Kurt squeaked his reply. "Nothing happened last night."

Kurt felt Miss Bohm's hand lift his chin to face her. "Is that what upset you? Did I interrupt you and Noah deciding to date? He really does like you."

Shaking his head, Kurt interrupted. "No, last night nothing happened. We were just sleeping."

Miss Bohm let got of Kurt's chin but still kept her hand on his arm. "I know that. I found your clothes in the washing machine this morning. I moved them to the dryer for you. Are you worried about what I would think about you and Noah?"

Kurt nodded slightly as he lowered his head again.

Miss Bohm laughed. "Oh Kurt, your mom and I used to talking about how cute of a couple you two were when you were kids. Why would I be upset that it actually came true?"

Kurt's head shot up. "What?"

Miss Bohm leaned forward a little. "I feel odd saying this, but we figured out you were gay when you were three or four. Well, more of, we wouldn't have been shocked if you turned out to be gay when you were older. And the way Noah acted, we were sure he would probably hurt anyone who tried to take you away from him."

She paused and smiled. "Noah's always been a little in love with both genders. His first real crush was on Sean from the fight club that he's part of." She started to laugh. "He would spend all his time there whenever he could. When he found out that Jesse was dating Sean, well, let's just say that Jesse had a lot of black and blue shins for a while there. I would get the funniest phone calls from the pair of them. Sean call and tell me how cute it was Noah would try to defend him from the nasty Jesse. Jesse would keep calling saying that he wanted to drop Noah from his classes because he didn't like getting hit for talking to his boyfriend. Noah was always just a few feet away during those phone calls and would start yelling about how Sean liked him more than Jesse so Jesse should leave Sean alone. It took about a year for Noah to give up on being with Sean but from what I heard, he did tell Jesse that if he messed up, Sean was his."

She leaned closer to Kurt and laughed. "Noah was a lady killer then, too. He used to charm everyone and get his way most of the time." She paused as she laughed a little harder. "A few days after he gave up on Sean, I caught him kissing a pretty little girl on the patio. One of many girls I've seen him with." She shook her head. "Sadly, I don't think any of them really suited him. He's a little too smart for his own good so he's always been easily bored with girl who let him get his way." Miss Bohm leaned back. "I think his heart wasn't really into chasing girls. They were just always waiting for him. That's the main reason why he's only been with girls. He told me once that it was just easier to find a girl that was willing to go out with him than it was to find guys he liked and was gay or bi. It's a shame that people have to hide who they are in a country that says that it is so tolerant. I honestly think the only reason why he hasn't been with a boy before is just because he hasn't found one he cared enough about to deal with the fall out that would come from it." She looked at the stairs. "Speaking of Noah, he should have been dressed and down by now. Sarah! Noah!"

Noah's bellow rang through the house. "Coming mom."

Kurt was relieved to hear that this wasn't the first time that Noah had looked at guys in that way. It meant this probably was serious for him too and not just an experiment to see whether he liked guys or not. Kurt was a little confused on who Sean was. He knew about Mac but maybe Sean was Jesse's old boyfriend. That, however, didn't make sense since Mac had said that he and Jesse had been together for fifteen years. "Um, who is Sean?"

Miss Bohm gave Kurt an odd look. "I know you have meet him. He runs the fight club with Jesse. Oh yes, I think Noah calls him Mac sometimes. He usually answers to Sean when I call so I'm just used to calling him that. They're both amazing people. They've done so much for Noah."

Kurt heard Noah's footsteps coming down the stairs and the turned to see Noah with Sarah getting a piggy back ride. Kurt noticed that Noah wasn't dressed the way he normally was. He had jeans on, but they were darker and a little more form fitting than usual. They weren't quite skinny jeans, but they did hug Noah in the right places. He was also wearing a rich deep purple button down shirt that seemed to bring out Noah's eyes. Noah must have realized that Kurt appreciated the outfit since he put his sister down and did a little turn. Kurt felt his cheeks warm up again.

"Sorry, it took so long. I was dressed but Buttercup here decided that what I was wearing was horrible." Noah said as he sat next to Kurt.

Sarah turned to her mom and replied. "Mom, he doesn't know how to dress himself. No wonder Kurt's waiting to see if they should date."

Noah replied with mock hurt. "Hey, I do to know how to dress."

Sarah sighed. "No, you think you know how to dress. It's sad that I had to dress you."

Noah glared at his sister but there was a lot of warmth in his look. "Says the girl who just started dressing herself."

Sarah quickly shot back. "I've been dressing myself for four years now. And you should dress nice since Kurt's here."

Noah sighed. "You've got me there." He turned to his mom. "Speaking about Kurt, we're going on a date tonight so I am going to miss dinner."

Kurt voiced his opinion before the others could. "When did I say yes to tonight?"

Noah smiled. "I figured the sooner we make this official, the better for me."

Kurt could see the advantages of going on a date with Noah as soon as possible as well, so he sighed and nodded. Noah smiled widely at him and grabbed his hand.

Miss Bohm then spoke. "That's all well and good but tonight is family dinner night, so you will be here Noah."

Noah looked more than a little upset at being denied a date by his mom. "But mom, we have dinner every Sunday."

Miss Bohm nodded. "Yes and that's why it's tradition. But..." she smiled at Noah and Kurt. "Kurt is invited to join us for dinner, and then the two of you can go out to a movie if you want."

Noah turned to ask Kurt again for a date, but his facial features expressed his surety that Kurt would say no. "Would that be okay with you?"

Kurt looked at Noah. He looked completely destroyed. His shoulders were slumped and he was concentrating on his plate much like Kurt had earlier. Kurt scooted over and then nudged Noah. Noah looked up at him, clearly unhappy with the situation. Kurt thought about having his first date at his date's house rather than at a restaurant. He thought about how it could be horribly awkward, but then he thought about how kind Noah's mom seemed to be and how adorable Noah's sister was. Maybe it would make it easier since there would be at least someone who approved of the relationship helping out. "It's okay, only if I get to choose the movie after."

Noah's frown quickly disappeared as he started to smile widely at Kurt. "Anything, you say princess."

Breakfast went smoothly after that. There was a lot of teasing between Sarah and Noah with Kurt and Miss Bohm laughing at the pair's antics. It was clear to Kurt that family was important to Noah, and with how amazing his mother and sister were, it was understandable why. It made his decision to have the first half of their date at Noah's house seem a little better.

As they were leaving, Noah hugged his sister and mom and told them goodbye. Kurt was hedging towards the door when Miss Bohm grabbed him and gave him a hug as well. When she let go, she spoke softly to Kurt. "I'll make some of your favorites from when you were little for dinner. Is that okay?"

Kurt nodded but felt a little choked up. Noah's mom remembered his favorite foods and was going to make them especially for his first date. It was odd but perfect. "Thank you."

She ran her hand through his hair and for once, Kurt wasn't upset by the mess it probably caused. "You never have to thank me for something like that Kurt. It's like a part of the family's back now that you are here. It's not only Noah who has missed you."

Kurt nodded and quickly left before he started to tear up. He saw Noah give him an odd look. "Your mom is really nice."

Noah smiled softly and grabbed Kurt's hand. "I know."

The two of them sat down in Noah's car where Noah linked their hands together again as he drove. Kurt squeezed his hand as he thought about when they were little and they used to tug each other along because they were always holding hands. They had always been really affectionate with each other to the point that they would even take naps curled up next to each other. The few times they were in trouble and their parents separated them, nap time became filled with crying and tantrums to return to the other's side.

Kurt giggled. "Does this mean I can call you Tan-Tan?"

Noah laughed but shook his head. "Only if you want me to call you Toto."

Kurt laughed. "If I can call you Dorothy."

Noah started laughing harder. "No way in hell are you calling me that, princess."

Kurt tightened his hold on Noah's hand. "I think I like being called princess more."

Noah turned and looked at Kurt for a second before looking back at the road. "It suits you."

Kurt smiled and started looking out the window. He would occasionally tighten his hold on Noah's hand just to feel the jock tighten his hand in return. The whole morning seemed surreal. It was like a fairy tale come true where the lost best friend comes back to save the, well princess did fit, and they lived happy ever after. Kurt kept smiling until they almost reached his house. He quickly notices the police cars out in front and the yellow tape across his yard.

He let go of Noah's hand and leaned forward. "Noah, my house."


	26. Chapter 26

Thank you Dami for helping me out so much with this chapter and past chapters. You rock!

* * *

Noah parked a few houses down from Kurt's house and the petite kicker almost jumped out of the car in his eagerness to get out. There were not just one or two cars in front of the Hummel residence, it looked like half of officers from the town were milling round his yard.

Kurt quickly moved to the tape and started to lift it before he was stopped by a young cop. "Sorry, kid. No one's allowed in."

Kurt looked at the man with disbelieve. "But it's my house."

The officer looked at Kurt with relief. "You're Kurt Hummel. God, we've been looking for you everywhere. Come on." The officer lifted the yellow tape and motioned Kurt in.

Kurt paused a second noticing Noah was almost to them. "Can my friend come in?"

The officer looked at Noah and after a second nodded. "Yeah, but he can't touch anything. We're trying to figure out if we can get prints off of anything."

Noah and Kurt both went under the yellow tape and started to move towards the house with the officer leading the way.

The officer spoke into his radio. "We've located the Hummel kid. I'm bringing him into the house right now." He turned to Kurt and Noah. "Officer Willis is inside with your dad."

Kurt started to get even more worried since he knew his dad wasn't supposed to be home until later in the day. "Where are they?"

Before the officer could reply, Kurt's dad came rushing through the front door and lifted Kurt off the ground in a bear hug. Kurt grabbed onto his dad out of instinct rather than concern since he barely could understand what was happening.

Burt finally allowed Kurt's feet to touch the ground yet keep him as close to him as possible. "Do you know how crazy I've been since last night? I got a call from Officer Willis at four thirty in the morning saying that the house had been ransacked. When I asked how you were and he didn't know, I nearly lost my mind. I don't even remember the drive home. I should have taken you with me this weekend. You are never, ever leaving my sight again. You got that. You're never leaving my sight, again." Burt finally let Kurt have a little breathing room only to start running his hand up and down Kurt. "Are you all right? You are never, ever going to let your battery die again. Not that matters since you're staying by my side from now on." He grabbed Kurt in another hug. "I don't know what I would do if that psycho got you. You are fine though, right? Nothing happened while I was gone to you? You weren't here last night, were you? Where were you last night? God, Kurt are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Kurt let his dad use him like a rag doll for a few moments as he waited for a chance to figure out what happened. He knew he was incommunicado for the night but he didn't know why that was such a big deal. It wasn't like he was kidnapped. Kurt then noticed that a few of the windows in the front of the house were broken. He lightly pushed himself away from his dad and moved towards the window next to the door.

There was glass laying on the porch in front of the window next to the door and a stone laying right in the middle of the mess. Kurt looked at the rock and then back at his dad. "What happened?"

Officer Willis answered for Mr. Hummel. "I got a call at three in the morning saying that there was a break in at the house. Ms. Wilson from next door called it in after her husband went to check what happened. He saw someone in the house and yelled. It apparently spooked who ever was inside because he ran out the back." Burt moved closer to his son. "It looks like it's the same guy who mess up your car, son. We got some prints off of a spray can he left and it matches one of the prints we got on the car battery." Officer paused and looked at Burt. "Maybe you should finish."

Burt nodded and moved towards Kurt. "Kurt, the guy who was here last night is wanted in Indiana for beat his brother and his boyfriend." Burt looked at his son and paused.

Kurt knew his father was holding back something. It seemed like it was something big. "And?"

Burt wiped his face with hand and seemed to be searching for the right words to continue. "And... And the boyfriend didn't make it."

Kurt stepped back. He heard the glass on the ground breaking under his feet as he stepped away. There was not a psycho coming after him. No, it couldn't be true. He was just a teenaged boy who didn't do anything to anyone.

Burt grabbed Kurt and moved him away from the glass before he would hurt himself. "This is a really bad guy, Kurt. When we couldn't find you this morning, we thought the worst had happened to you. We even called some of your friends to search for you." Burt looked back to Noah who seemed a few shades off of his normal color. "Why didn't you pick up? I know someone probably called you."

Noah seemed to look at Mr. Hummel through a daze before finally answering. "I turn my phone to silent when I sleep. I've always been a light sleeper so if I leave the ringer on, I wake up all the time because someone's always calling." He face fell into despair. "Honestly Mr. Hummel, I call people back once I wake up but this morning was really busy. If I had know..." Noah's face showed his guilty feelings about what had happened.

Officer Willis put his hand on Noah's shoulder. "Of course, you would have called. You didn't know what had happened. It's not your fault. Right now, just be thankful that everyone is okay."

Kurt suddenly spoke up. "Someone was watching me two nights ago." He moved closer to Officer Willis and Noah. "On Friday night, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me when I was alone."

Burt gave Kurt an upset look. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Shrugging, Kurt noticed his hands had started to shake as he touched his dad's forearm. "I thought I was just paranoid since no one was at home. I only felt watched when I was by myself. What if he was watching me? What if he was waiting for me to be alone?"

Noah interrupted. "That's not going to happen. You are never going to be alone."

Dropping his hand from his dad's forearm, Kurt moved closer to Noah. "But what if I didn't go home with you? What if I was here last night?"

Noah quickly grabbed Kurt in a hug. "You are fine and I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Kurt buried himself in Noah's arms and wrapping his arms as tightly around the larger boy as he could. Kurt felt his dad hand start moving up and down his back. Kurt was trying hard not to breakdown in his front yard. Over Noah's shoulder, he could see people start to line up and crane their necks to get a better view of what was going on. He felt sick thinking about how this was going to become the town gossip for the foreseeable future.

Kurt felt his dad slowly take him away from Noah and into his own arms. "He's right Kurt. We aren't going to let anything happen. Officer Willis has already started to put up flyers about this guy and I'm sure the news will get it on the air soon."

Kurt tensed. That was the last thing he wanted. He didn't want more people deciding that this guy was right to scare him like this. He didn't need more people passing judgement on him being gay. What if more guys like this came out of the woodwork after knowing that there was someone who was gay among them?

Officer Willis spoke. "Kurt, I need you to look at a picture of the guy as well so we can find a connection." He paused for a second and looked at Noah. "You too son."

Kurt felt his dad start to pull him into the house. Kurt eased away from his dad and started to look at the damages. There was graffiti everywhere he looked. The same words that had been on his car were now sprayed in red and yellow on the neutral colors of the house walls. There were pictures shattered and Kurt could see the TV was totally wrecked. Kurt was just happy he had not been in the house when this had happened.

He turned to see Noah coming in right behind him. The jock seemed to be as shocked by the damages as Kurt was. Kurt watched him wince when he saw the pictures that were damaged line the floor. Kurt's dad lead them into the kitchen and made Kurt sit down.

Burt put his hand on Kurt's shoulder as he softly spoke to his son. "Most of the damage is on the first floor. Officer Willis thinks it's because Mr. Wilson scared him away. Your room and the upstairs are mostly untouched but he destroyed the living room." His hand tightened painfully. "When I heard what happened, I was worried. When I saw the house, I was terrified." Burt turned to Noah. "Thank you for taking care of him. I don't want to know what would have happened if he was still here."

Noah shook his head. "It's no problem. I don't want anything to happen to him either, Mr. Hummel."

Kurt started to tear up. His house had been broken into. This was the one place that he was supposed to feel safe. It wasn't fair that he no longer had a safe haven anymore. There was no place for him to turn anymore where he could escape the horrors of his life. He hated school most days because of all the judgmental looks he got from most of the students. He didn't really feel safe in the town since there were usually odd looks given to him as soon as people saw what he was wearing and how he acted. He wasn't religious so he didn't have church like Mercedes had and he wasn't a real jock so he couldn't just escape into the game. He had only had his house. It was the one place where he could forget about all the bad that was outside of these walls. Now, he didn't even have the house. His sanctuary was destroyed. Kurt started to cry.

Kurt felt someone kneel in front of him and automatically wrapped his arms around them. He hear his dad's voice whispering in his ear that he would make it better. How could anything make this better? How could anyone make him forget what had happened? There was no way he could ever get the images of the glass broken on the front porch or the shattered TV with the words "die fag" sprayed on it. There wasn't a quick fix to get the few family photos his dad put up tossed around the room like they were trash out of his head. Some of the photographs even had footprints on them. Those footprints would probably help the police find who did this but it would be a long time before he ever saw the picture of him and his dad at the Detroit Auto Show without thinking about that footprint.

After finally controlling his crying, Kurt glanced at Noah. He had just said yes to a date with Noah this morning but after hearing about what the man who was after him did to his own brother and his boyfriend, Kurt was having even more doubts about whether he should date Noah. Yes, he was a sweet, considerate, funny, sensitive and hot guy who just happened to be his childhood friend and wanted to date him but Kurt had just realized that he was attracted to Noah. What if this psycho decided to go after him because he was with Kurt and Kurt found out that he didn't like Noah so much as he thought? What if Noah was hurt because Kurt really hadn't thought this through and just wanted to be friends in a few weeks? Was it right to risk hurting Noah in more than one way just so Kurt could go on a date with a guy?

Burt looked at Kurt. "Why don't you and Noah go downstairs and check if everything is alright? If anything is out of place come and tell me, okay?"

Kurt nodded and got up. He moved to the door that was already open and moved downstairs. As he slowly walked down the stairs, he softly spoke to Noah. "I don't think we should date."

"We could move the date for a few days if you want." Noah said reassuringly.

Kurt shook his head as he reached the bottom of the staircase. "No, I don't think we should date at all. I think we should call the whole thing off."

Noah grabbed Kurt's arm. "What do you mean?"

Shaking the hand off of him, Kurt walked around his room. There didn't seem to be anything out of place. Most of the mess seemed like it was from the party the night before. He started to move the blankets back to his bed. Just two days ago, this was the scene of a sleepover and now, it was a crime scene. "I mean that we should forget about last night and this morning. I don't want to go out with you anymore."

Walking up behind him, Noah grabbed Kurt arm, again making the slighter boy look at him. "Why the sudden change? This morning you were excited about us and yesterday you tried to stick your tongue down my throat so what happened between then and now?"

Kurt looked at Noah and saw the hurt, confusion and slight anger in his features. He made an aborted move to touch Noah's face but quickly put his hand back down. Kurt took a step closer to Noah but dropped his gaze to the floor. He started to whisper his reply to Noah's questions. "I don't know what to say. I know I feel something for you but I don't know if I can risk it." He looked up at Noah's face. "You're Tan-Tan. Do you know what that means to me? For years, it's been like I've been missing a limb with you gone and suddenly, you're back. I don't know if I can risk loosing you again."

Letting go of Kurt's arm, Noah wrapped Kurt in a hug. "You have to risk big to win big, princess. Don't you think I thought about how this could all go wrong if you got upset about who I was? Do you know how hard it was for me to see you everyday without yelling out that you're Toto and you should be with me?"

Kurt clutched Noah close. "What about the psycho? What if he finds out? I won't risk you."

Noah eased Kurt away so he could look at Kurt's face. "Princess, is this what's really bothering you? Because I have to tell you, I'm probably already on his shit list. I've been here all the time lately or you've been out hanging with me. Not to mention the pseudo date that we had with Karofsky and his boytoy probably didn't help any."

Kurt froze. He had already put Noah in a bad position. The crazy bigot might already be after Noah since he probably seemed to be his boyfriend already. Honestly now that Kurt thought about it, most of the things that had happened between Kurt and Noah could be seen as boyfriend stuff from an outside observer especially a mentally deranged outsider. Kurt pulled away from Noah quickly. "You can't be here. I don't want you to be here. You have to leave."

Noah grabbed Kurt. "There is no way I'm leaving you, princess. I know you are scared and I'm not saying that I'm Superman and I can fix it but... but I can be here with you... I'm going to be right here with you. You understand? No psycho is going to make me run away from you." Noah started to run his hands up and down Kurt's back. "I've missed you for so long and now, I have you. I'm not letting you go."

Kurt heard the steel in Noah's voice and was slightly comforted. He knew he should fight more but he also knew how stubborn Noah could be. "One date and we'll see." Kurt paused. "But can we keep it quiet?" Kurt squirmed a bit in Noah's arms. "I'm just scared."

Noah sighed. "I'm not going to hide in the closet because of this guy, Kurt. I'm not that guy."

Kurt nodded but tried again. "I know but could we just keep it between the two of us until they catch him. I don't think I could handle him coming after you because of me."

"Now stop right there." Noah's voice had a deep growl to it. "This is not your fault. This guy singled you out to be his victim, not the other way around. You didn't ask for this and even if something happens to me because of him, it wouldn't be your fault."

Kurt shook his head. He knew that there was truth in what Noah was saying but he also knew he would feel guilty if Noah got hurt. "Just promise me we can keep it quiet."

Noah shook his head. "No, I'm not going to lie. This is the first time I can really see something good come out of dating and I'm not going to lie about it..." Noah sighed and slumped a little. "However, I will not advertise it. I'm not going to go around telling people, but if they ask, I'm telling the truth."

Kurt knew it was the best he was going to get out of Noah. The poor jock already seemed upset about what he had agreed to. "I guess that will have to work."

Noah smiled softly. "So the date's back on?"

Kurt nodded. "If I don't say yes, you'll just whine and nag me until you get your way."

Noah smiled. "That's about right. I'm glad you are finally realizing that you should just agree with me from the beginning."

"That's never going to happen so you can give that idea up right now." Kurt wrapped his arms around Noah. "Are you sure you want to try dating now? We can post pone this."

Noah shook his head. "I hate to say this, princess, but there is always going to be some jackass that doesn't like that we are together. That's the main reason why I haven't gone after guys. It's easier to like girls and since they do get me going, there's never been a reason to fight those judgmental assholes." Noah started to rub Kurt's back. "But you might be worth it."

Kurt pushed back. "Might be?"

Noah laughed. "Princess, as much as I want this to work, you still don't know how you feel. I'm not going to push you to stay with me just to save my feelings. I want you to be happy too... Either way, I'm not going to let you disappear on me again. Whether you want to stay friends or become boyfriends, I'm going to be here." Noah smiled. "Anyway, after one date with me you probably don't want to be just friends anymore."

Kurt pushed Noah away to check his room for anything awry. "Cocky much?"

Noah wiggled his eyebrow. "Actually, just one cock but it is interested if that's what you are trying to figure out."

Kurt groaned. "You pervert."

Noah laughed as he watch Kurt slowly move through the room. Nothing was really damaged in his room it seemed. His closet door was closed but he wanted to check if the creep ruined some of his mementos. When he opened the door, Kurt screamed. Everything was sprayed in the room. There were red everywhere. Kurt felt Noah bump into him as the jock rushed to his side. Noah softly said fuck as he tried to pull Kurt out of the closet doorway. Kurt could hear the pounding of steps down his staircase and turned to see his dad, Officer Willis and now Finn standing there looking in his closet.

Burt spoke up first. "Jesus Kurt, you gave me a heart attack."

Kurt turned to his dad. "Dad, my cloths...my things."

Burt nodded. "I didn't know he destroyed your things until now. I was too caught up trying to find you."

The Officer continued. "We didn't have time to go over everything yet since we switched over to trying to find you. I'll get some officers down here to look through here."

Kurt nodded but was numb. He had pieces in his closet that he had spent months collecting money for. Some of them were even one of a kind. Why was someone trying to take everything that meant something to him and destroy it? Kurt felt like the room was collapsing in on him. He started to staggered out of the closet and was lead to his bed by Noah.

The world just didn't make sense to Kurt anymore. He tried to live by the golden rule when he was little: Do onto others as you would want them to do onto you. When that didn't work, he tried to blend into the background. When that failed him, he tried to keep everyone away by putting on mask after mask so they would just see the perfection that he was trying to be. If they were making fun of the mask, they weren't really making fun of him. Now, that had failed him so what was he supposed to do?

Kurt felt the bed dip next to him and his dad looked at him with concern. "Why did he do this, dad? What did I do?"

Burt sighed. "You did nothing, Kurt. You are just the victim of a crazy dangerous man."

Kurt shook his head. "But I don't want to be the victim."

Nodding, Burt took off his ever present hat and ran a hand over his head. "I know, kid. No one does." Burt turned to the rest of the people in the room. "Could you guys give me a minute with Kurt?"

Everyone nodded and went up the stairs. Noah lingered for a second before going up last.

Burt looked at Kurt who seemed lost and numb. "Kurt, I'm sorry I can't stop this."

Kurt looked at his dad and tried to focus. "It's not your fault."

Burt shook his head. "I went out of town the weekend after your car was destroyed just last Friday. I should have known that this guy was not done harassing you."

Kurt shook his head. "You had meets for work. You..."

Burt interrupted. "I should have taken you with me. I know you would get bored but I should have just let you come when you asked."

Kurt sat up a little straighter as he tried to focus on what his dad was saying. "It was fine. Noah took me home and I'm safe."

Burt shook his head. "But I should be the one making you safe. I should have told Mark to go to hell when he said he could only see me this weekend. I should have said I would go to another..."

Kurt put a hand on his dad's arm. "We didn't know this was going to happen. I'm in one piece. It's just... It's just stuff." Kurt started to tear up again.

Burt pulled Kurt into a hug. "It's not just stuff, Kurt. This man came into our house. You are supposed to feel safe here. You're supposed to feel safe at home. I know school's not the most pleasant place for you and I know you don't really like sports but you were happy when you were at home. Right? Now, he ruined that."

Kurt didn't know how to respond. What his dad was saying was true. He didn't know what to say to make his dad feel better since he was trying to figure out how to make sense of what happened as well. "What is his name?"

Burt looked to Kurt. "Whose?"

Kurt pulled away from his dad. "The guy who did this to the house. Officer Willis said that they knew who it was."

Sighing, Burt started to speak. "His name is Albert Nelson. From his picture, he looks like everyone else. There is nothing that really that stands out about him from his photo. He even seems normal from his little background that Officer Willis gave me."

Kurt nodded but was more worried than before. It was easier to think of this guy as the boogeyman than the guy next door. From what his dad was saying, it seemed like he was Ward Cleaver from "Leave It to Beaver"... Okay, maybe not Ward Cleaver but it seemed like he would not raise any really eyebrows. That just made it worse.

"Officer Willis does want you to look at the picture of him just incase he continues to lurk around and then they can catch him." Burt said.

Kurt nodded and got off the bed. He was getting sick of just having to react to what was going on. Maybe if he started to be more proactive something would happen. "Okay, I'll go check with him."

Burt nodded but didn't seem to get off the bed. "Okay, I'll be up in a minute."

Kurt looked back at his dad and saw the slumping shoulders, the bowed head and the tense muscles. He realized that he had been selfish. "We'll be okay, dad. I'm sure we will be okay."

Burt looked up at his son and Kurt thought he saw a little pride in his eyes. "Yes, we will." He sighed. "Just give your old man a few minutes of peace, okay?"

Kurt nodded and went up the stairs. He searched for Officer Willis in the kitchen and the living room when he heard yelling from outside. He raced to the front door and saw Finn and Dave trying to get at each other over the yellow tape. Noah seemed to trying to grab Finn while Blaine was tugging on Dave but it didn't seem to be doing much good however. Kurt ran down to the yellow tape as he watched the officers milling around the yard closing in.

He reached the pair and tried to get in the middle of them. "Guys, break it up." He slide in between the two of them with his back to Dave since it seemed that Finn was the more hostile of the two. "Would either one of you like to explain how you thought that it was a good idea to play fisticuffs in my front yard with a house of cops and a street filled with witnesses?"

Finn answered while he was still trying to break Noah's hold on him. "Karofsky had the balls to show up here after he was probably the one who fuck up your house."

Kurt felt Dave try to charge at Finn as he was pushed forward.

Dave replied to the accusation angrily. "Oh fuck you, Hudson."

Finn surged forward. "Like everyone doesn't know that it's your dad that destroyed Kurt's car. Like father like son."

Kurt almost wanted to let Dave at Finn for that last comment. There was no true to the like father like son comment in this situation. Heck, if you looked at Kurt and his dad, well, Kurt wouldn't have been born if Burt was as anti-heterosexual sex as Kurt was. Kurt pushed Finn back and yelled. "Will both of you shut up?"

Finn backed up a little and seemed more composed than before. "Kurt, he's probably just returning to the scene of the crime."

Dave snorted from behind Kurt. "Sounds like the big shot's watched too much CSI."

Finn tried to take a step forward but Noah pulled him back. "Shut the fuck up Finn." Noah told his friend as he tried to hold Finn back.

Finn swung around and glared at Noah. "What did you help him or something?" Finn looked at Blaine. "You and that Abercrombie and Fitch reject next to him?"

Only the fact that Kurt and Blaine were both holding Dave in place saved Finn from a beating after he brought Blaine up in his diatribe. "No one fucking talks about him like that." Dave got pretty close to getting both of the smaller boys off of him when Blaine wrapped his arms around his waist and held on tight. It seemed to calm Dave down from explosive to furious.

Finn asked. "If you are as innocent as you claim, how the hell did you know something happened?"

Dave glared at Finn. "The cops came over and asked me where I was."

Finn snorted. "And I bet your mom covered for you again. Poor woman probably doesn't know you're a psycho."

Dave lunged forward again breaking Kurt's hold of his arm and grabbing Finn's shirt. Officer Willis appeared next to Finn just in time to save him from the promise of a very black and blue body. "Karofsky, let him go."

Dave looked at Finn and then the cop and slowly let go of Finn's shirt. He turned around and let Blaine pull him away from the QB.

Officer Willis looked at two of them with complete disappointment in his eyes. It seemed to quell the anger in both of them. "Do you boys want to tell me why I'm taking time away from finding the guy who did this to separate you two?"

Finn looked at Officer Willis. "Well, we all know that Karofsky had to have done it since his dad was the one who wreaked Kurt's car."

The officer shook his head. "Karofsky has an alibi for last night."

Finn didn't seemed to care that it was very apparent that Dave was not the person whom the police were look for. "His mom has to be lying. He always gave Kurt a hard time for being gay. If there is anyone who would have had a motive, it's him."

Dave answered back before Officer Willis had a chance. "I was fucking my boyfriend at the time so I think he's a better witness to where I was than my mom, Hudson." The group became completely silent and there was no movement except for Finn's jaw dropping. For a second, Dave didn't seem to realize what he had said. When it become clear that he had just outed himself and Blaine in front of the little group, he quickly turned to Blaine with big pleading eyes. "Oh my God babes, I didn't mean to say that. I mean I didn't meant to say it like that. Don't get pissed at me. I didn't meant to say it like that."

Blaine jaw dropped as he heard how Dave had outed the two of them. It seemed to Kurt like he didn't know whether to laugh or scream. Eventually, Blaine's sunny personality won out and the boy from Dalton started laughing at what had just happened. "Oh Dave, only you would stay in the closet this long just to be outed in the most spectacularly odd way possible." He have Dave a hug but quickly released the larger boy since Blaine seemed a little leery of causing a scene. "I'm not mad. Just next time you want to tell someone you're gay, try to use something a little less vivid than you and me in bed together."

Finn finally broke out of the weird spell that seemed to be holding his mouth shut for the last few minutes. "But... You... Kurt... Your dad... What did you just say?"

Kurt took over for Dave and Blaine were doing a very bad job of trying not to look like a couple. "Dave is gay. The guy next to him is Blaine and he is Dave's boyfriend."

Finn shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense."

Noah spoke up. "It's true. Me and Kurt met up with them yesterday." He looked at Blaine and Dave. He changed his voice to a high pitch mock of a teenager. "They're so cute." Noah started to laugh.

Officer Willis rolled his eyes. "I'm going to head back in now that I know that none of you will coming back with me to the station for assault." He paused for a second. "Actually, I need you all to look at pictures of the suspect to see if you have seen them before." He turned to Dave. "I know you saw a picture this morning but we have a few more shots of him right now."

Dave nodded his head. "Sure, it's no problem."

The group of them made their way into the house. Kurt was just behind Officer Willis and Noah was next to him with Finn coming up on the rear of the group. Officer Willis spoke as they started going into the house. "We have most of the hallway and the kitchen checked for evidence so I'm going to take you to the kitchen. Don't go into the living room and just incase, don't touch anything."

Kurt refused to look at anything but the back of Officer Willis's head. He didn't want to see how the others were reacting to what had happened and he certainly didn't want to look at the living room again. As they passed the doorway that lead to the living room, he heard Dave say God damn and Blaine gasp but luckily they kept their reactions to a minimum. Noah must have realized what Kurt was doing since he knocked his shoulder into Kurt's. Kurt looked at Noah who gave the smaller boy a reassuring smile. Kurt tried to return the smile but he couldn't muster the strength to fake it.

Officer Willis grabbed the manila folder laying on the dining table and took out the pictures he had placed in there out. There were five pictures in all. "His name is Albert Richard Nelson. He's about five feet eleven inches tall. He has short brown hair that he usually keeps well maintained. He had no facial hair before but he has been spotted with a beard a few ago." The policeman passed the pictures around. "He doesn't seem like anyone out of the ordinary but he is dangerous." Officer Willis looked directly at Kurt, Blaine and Dave. "He beat his brother's boyfriend to death and left his brother in the ICU."

Dave muttered. "Jesus."

Officer Willis continued. "I don't want the three of you out by yourselves. Do you understand me? I know that he is after Kurt right now but I don't want him coming after either one of you."

Blaine nodded his head as he answered. "Yes sir, but I am going back to school in Dalton today."

The officer took out a notepad and wrote down what Blaine said. "That's fine. I'll call security at the school and tell them what is going on. I just need your complete information before you go and I want an officer to escort you to your car."

Dave wrapped an arm around Blaine's waist. "That's fine."

Officer Willis turned to Noah. "I want you to be careful, too. Just because this guy is going after gay men right now doesn't mean he'll leave you alone especially since you are with Kurt so often. Actually, you should probably be on watch for him as much as Kurt is. I want you to give me your information before you go as well."

Noah about to tell the cop that he was with Kurt but Kurt shot his hand out and grabbed Noah's arm. The slightly boy squeezed Noah's arm tightly until Noah looked at him with a slight frown. Kurt shook his head and then let Noah go to look at the pictures. He knew Noah wanted to tell the officer that he was with Kurt but Kurt didn't want everyone to know yet. There was too much to deal with already without adding the fact that Kurt might be dating the wide receiver. The questions and the looks on top of the worry about Noah's safety would be too much.

Kurt looked at the pictures and it was just like his dad said. There was nothing remarkable about this guy. He was completely normal. No weird squinty eyes. No evil crooked smile. No scar coming down half of his face. He was as average as could be.

Kurt turned to Officer Willis. "I'm sorry but I don't really remember seeing him."

Dave took the pictures. As soon as they were in his hands, Dave spoke up. "I've seen him." He showed the picture with a light beard to Officer Willis. "This guy was at the house two days ago saying that he want to get something for my dad. I didn't let him in and he seemed pretty pissed about it. He backed off when I told him that my dad was arrested and that I was about to call the cops on him. He seemed a little drunk but then again most of my dad's buddies usually are."

Officer Willis nodded. "Okay, I think we need to go back to your place again and see if he left anything there after he wreaked Kurt's car."

Dave nodded. "No problem. Mom is at..." He paused as he looked at Burt and Finn. "Mom's out but I can let you guys in."

Officer Willis nodded and took the pictures back after Finn, Noah and Blaine shook their heads they saw the pictures. Burt had just come up from the basement and looked questionably at the two new occupants. Kurt moved in front of Dave and Blaine. "Dad, these are the two guys that Noah and I met up with yesterday." He gestured at Dave. "That's Dave and next to him is Blaine."

Burt seemed to relax a little at the introductions. "It's nice to meet you boys though I wish it was on a happier occasion."

Blaine replied. "So do we, sir... I hate to just leave but I have to get back to school... We wanted to stop by and make sure Kurt was alright and help find him if he was still missing."

Burt smiled slightly. "Thank you. He was at Noah's last night."

Dave got a wide smile on his face. "Really?"

Kurt knew nothing good could come from Dave being that happy with the information. "It's so sad that you and Blaine have to go. Make sure I know when the rally is and I'll be there."

Blaine seemed to realize that Kurt wanted to keep whatever was going on between himself and Noah a secret for right now and quickly took over Dave's attention. "Really, we do have to go so I can see your mom before I leave town."

Dave nodded and waved good-bye. "See you tomorrow guys. Officer Willis, I'll give my mom the heads up when I see her."

The officer nodded and started to follow the boys out. Kurt basically collapsed onto a dining room chair. It was too much effort trying to keep it together for everyone. He just wanted to crawl into his bed and forget what happened. But since as most of the house was a crime scene he knew he wouldn't feel safe here. There were too many people milling around. They were coming in and out trying to help catch the bad guy but Kurt just wanted to kick everyone out and barricade the doors.

He turned to Noah who was standing next to his chair. "I don't want to be here."

Noah quickly crouched in front of Kurt. "Okay, princess. Where do you want to go?"

Kurt tried not to sob out his answers. "Somewhere safe."

Noah sighed. "You have to be a little more specific than that... Is my place okay?"

Kurt nodded but Burt spoke up. "I don't really want you out of my sight, Kurt. It's too dangerous. You barely even know Noah. No offense."

Noah replied for Kurt. "Actually Mr. Hummel, I've known Kurt for years. My name is Nathan Noah Puckerman."

Kurt tired not to smile. He knew the only reason why Noah hadn't said Tan-Tan was Finn was hovering pretty close to the two of them.

Burt's eyes widen as he looked over the tall mohawk sporting teen. "You? You were little Tan-Tan."

Kurt had never seen this side of Noah. If he didn't know better, he could have swore that Noah was blush a little and there was a tinge of red so Kurt was probably right.

Noah nodded his head. "Yes, Mr. Hummel. I mean it's totally your decision if you want him to come with me or not but I don't think he feels comfortable here because of... Well, you know. Do you want to talk to mom to check everything out?"

Burt nodded slowly. "Yeah, I want to talk to Ella before I let Kurt go over."

Noah got up and took his phone out of his pocket. He quickly dialed his mom and waited for his mom to come on the line. "Hey, mom... Yeah, I'm at Kurt's... Actually, there's a bit of a problem... No, I'll tell you about it when I get home... No, we didn't fight... No, no one's hurt. Actually, Mr. Hummel wants to talk to you... No, mom... I swear I didn't do anything bad... Can't you just ask Mr. Hummel?... Okay, here he is." Noah handed Burt the phone.

Burt and the rest of the room seemed pretty amused by the phone call. Noah seemed determined not to look anyone in the eye after he gave Burt the phone and sat down on another chair.

Burt took the phone a little out of hearing range of the boys but they all just sat in silence seemingly trying to listen. After a few minutes, Finn interrupted. "So yeah, how is everything?"

Kurt looked up at the quarterback and saw that he was really trying to find the right thing to say. The earnest look on his face and the slight confusion were blatant. Kurt felt the need to laugh hysterically start to bubble up but he suppressed it. "I feel like I'm going to scream."

Finn seemed confused by that statement but didn't say anything. He looked like he wanted to run away from the whole situation but was somehow holding his ground. It was odd that he looked so skittish since he was willing to take on a linebacker in a fight for Kurt. It was kind of sweet in a weird teenage boy sort of way. "Is there anything I can do?"

Kurt was about to shake his head but he knew Finn was trying to help. It wasn't Finn's fault that everything in his life seemed to be going horribly wrong. Kurt nodded his head slightly. "I think that some people are part of a search party to find me. Could you call them and tell them I'm fine?"

Finn looked relieved. "Yes, of course. Don't worry about it."

As Finn left the house to make phone calls, Burt came back and handed Noah his phone. "Ella says that I could send you two back to your place. I have her number so I'll call when the police are done here. I still don't want Kurt to go but I understand that he doesn't want to be here. You are going to call me every half an hour to tell me where he is. Do you understand me? If one hair on his head is damaged, your ass is on the line Nathan." Burt moved closer to Noah. His voice was low and menacing as he finished.

Noah nodded. He wouldn't let anything happen to Kurt anyway but very aggressive way that Burt was coming at him scared him a little. It was like a grizzly bear protecting its young.

Burt slowly backed away and then nodded. "I asked your mom to call too so I want two phone calls from your house ever half an hour. Do you understand?"

Noah again nodded.

Burt seemed satisfied that he put the fear of God into Noah and he turned to Kurt. He hunched down to look his son in the eyes as he spoke in a soft tone. "Kurt, are you sure you want to go? I would really rather have you here."

Kurt shook his head. "I can't be here. I don't want to see what he did to the house, dad. I want it all to go away."

Burt put a hand on Kurt's shoulder and squeezed softly. "I know, kid. I know."


	27. Chapter 27

Again, thank you Dami.

* * *

Kurt curled up next to Noah as they drove away from his house. The larger teen wrapped an arm around Kurt as he drove. A part of Kurt felt horrible for leaving his dad at the house by himself but he didn't think he could handle being in the house with his dad knowing that it was his fault. If he hadn't been gay, this would have never happened. It was like the phone call he had picked up a few months ago that was taunting him about being gay but only thousands of times worse. Why was this guy going after his house? Wasn't it bad enough that he had already scared the crap out of Kurt when he destroyed his car? Did he have to bring his dad into this? His dad wasn't gay. His dad barely could handle Kurt being gay. It wasn't fair.

Kurt moved even closer to Noah. Kurt hadn't been able to take anything from the house since the police wanted to make sure that everything was clear before letting him take things. They said wanted to double check everything for prints to see if Albert had picked up another accomplice or if he was working by himself. Right now, the only pair of cloths he owned and not taken by the police were at Noah's house and even they might not be clean. He felt dirty and tired. He felt as if he had been put into the dumpster and then run through a trash compacted.

The car ride over to Noah's was silent and felt infinitely longer than it was. Time seemed to be going so slowly for Kurt as he was trapped in the dark sad thoughts the surrounded the horrific event. He couldn't figure out what to do. He felt uncomfortable in his own skin. He felt too small and too big to fit comfortable in it all at the same time. He was itchy and tense and didn't know what to do about it.

Noah parked the car in front of his house and looked down at Kurt, who seemed to try to become a cling-on. "Princess, we're here. We should get inside before your dad calls and freaks my mom out."

Kurt slowly let go of Noah and opened his door. He moved up the sidewalk as if he were an eighty year old man and followed Noah into his house tired and rung out. He felt Noah try to hold his hand but he didn't really want to hold hands with Noah right now. What if the stalker was still watching him? What if he was putting Noah and his family in danger by coming over today? He wanted to pretend that nothing had happened but it was hard with the images of his house running through his head. Noah seemed confused about why Kurt suddenly didn't want to be touched but didn't say anything as Kurt wrapped his arms around himself. Kurt slowly followed Noah into his house. Before Kurt had his jacket off, Noah's mom grabbed him and hugged him.

"You poor thing. Come in. Noah, grab his jacket." Ms. Bohm quickly got Kurt's jacket off of him and gave it to Noah. She then moved the petite boy to the couch while keeping a steady hand on him. "Oh sweetie, are you okay? Sit down." She turned to Noah, who had put Kurt's coat down and was now hovering over the pair. She gave her son a quickly once over before turning back towards Kurt.

Kurt felt the soft hand on his wrist and instantly felt calmed. He really had not had a women touching him like that in a while. It wasn't like his girls whose hands were small and strong that always seemed tight and fleeting. Ms. Bohm's hands were soft and gentle but their impact was everlasting since they felt like they would never let go of him now that they had found him. It was like she knew he was two seconds from breaking down and was willing to give him her strength to do what he needed with it. He had to be strong. He had to make sure that Noah didn't get more worried and his dad didn't get more upset. Kurt noticed Noah's sister looking at him a little confused. Kurt knew that he must have looked like a mess but he couldn't help it with what had been going on for the last few days... Wait, it wasn't even the last few days that really broke him. Just a few hours ago, he was blissfully happy earlier today right here in this house and now... and now.

Ms. Bohm brushed Kurt's hair back from his forehead and turned to Noah. "Noah, make some chamomile tea for Kurt."

Noah nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

Ms. Bohm turned to Kurt. "Sweetie, do you want to stay in here or do you want to go to Noah's room?"

Kurt looked around the room and felt a little anxious. The room was a little too perfect. He felt unsettled being in it with how upset he was. He saw Sarah looking at him and made his decision. "Can I go to Noah's room?" Kurt was taken aback by the lack of inflection in his voice. It was so monotone and dry. It sounded like someone who was forced to talk after giving up the use of their voice forever.

Ms. Bohm immediately stood up and helped Kurt off of the couch. It was a good thing that the older woman had helped since Kurt's knees felt as if they were jelly. His whole body just didn't feel right anymore. Ms. Bohm wrapped her arm around Kurt's waist as the two of them slowly made their way up the stairs. "Sarah, I want you to go do your homework. You can do it on the dinner table just this once." Ms. Bohm said to the young girl who seemed to be following the pair at a distance.

Sarah looked like she wanted to complain for a second but saw the fierce look on her mom's face and quickly went back down the stairs.

Kurt and Ms. Bohm were soon in Noah's room, where she gentle pushed Kurt to sit down on Noah's bed. Ms. Bohm kept a close eye on the tense features of the teenaged boy and sat next to him. She wrapped her arm around Kurt and pulled him to her until his head lay on the corner of her neck. "My poor little Kurt. How could anyone try to hurt you? You are such a sweet boy."

Kurt took a sharp breath in as he tried not to cry.

Noah's mom started to rub his back. "Oh, sweet little thing, what kind of monster goes after little kids like you? He has no spine, no strength, no pride. He is an evil jealous little man who can't see the goodness in people."

Kurt finally spoke up with a wet voice. He wasn't crying but it was a near thing. "It's my fault. It's because I'm gay."

Ms. Bohm turned Kurt's head so he was looking right at her. "This is not your fault. It wasn't my grandparent's fault when the Nazi decided to kill them since they were Jewish, it isn't a black man's fault for the KKK coming after him and it isn't your fault that this man is coming after you. I'm sad to say that there are some closed minded people who don't understand that just because someone is different that they can still be beautiful wonderfully people."

"But..." Kurt started to say as he lowered his eyes from the caring look in Noah's mom's.

"But nothing sweetie. If someone, heaven forbid, decided to beat up Noah because he is Jewish, would that be okay?"

Kurt shook his head.

Ms. Bohm pulled Kurt snug against her again. "And if they hurt the sweet boy Joshua for being black or hispanic, would that be okay?"

Kurt shook his head again.

"Then why do you think that it's okay that they hurt you for being gay? You haven't done anything wrong. It's not your fault. Don't let him win by making you feel like you are the twisted one. You are a good boy, who is loved by many, many people." She put her hand under Kurt's chin and forced the boy to look at her. "Noah told me about last weekend. Do you think that all of those people would be worried about you if there wasn't something they liked in you? Do you think they would come baring food to make you happy? That is something good that you should keep with you, Kurt, while you endure this horrible ordeal ahead of you. You are very loved." She let Kurt's chin go and let him lay his head down again. "When Noah told me what happened, I couldn't believe it. It was only because Noah said that you were already overwhelmed that I didn't come over last week. But you are here now and you are going to let us take care of you for your dad. Poor man is probably going out of his mind right now trying to make everything safe for you, again. And if I remember anything about your dad is that he's stubborn."

Kurt let the happy thoughts that Ms. Bohm was trying to get him to embrace wash over him. He did find a lot more people supporting him then he ever thought possible and a whole crew of friends trying to protect him. He had found Noah because of this mess and he had found Tan-Tan. Apparently, everything really did seem to have a silver lining.

"You know that old tree in you backyard?" Ms. Bohm said as she continued to rub Kurt's back.

Kurt nodded not wanting to really think but he was enjoying safety he felt in this little Jewish woman's arms. He could almost pretend that it was his mom instead of Noah's who was sitting with him. He remembered how his own mom used to hold him like this when he was upset.

"Well, one day your mom..." Ms. Bohm started to say but was interrupted.

"Hey, mom. Here's the tea." Noah said as he walked into his room more hesitant than Kurt had ever seen him. It kind of hurt to seen Noah worried so much about him. He wanted Noah to see the good in him not just the crazy side that was rearing its ugly head all over the place lately. Noah should be a happy carefree teen, not this worried mess and Kurt knew that was his fault.

Kurt felt Ms. Bohm turn to him. "You want your tea or do you just want to stay where you are?"

Kurt shrugged.

Ms. Bohm reached for the tea with one hand but continued to pet Kurt with the other. "How about a little sip since Noah made it? It'll warm you up a little."

Kurt look at Noah from where he was tucked into Ms. Bohm's shoulder. Noah seemed to be concerned but nervous. Kurt straighten up a little to sip the tea when Ms. Bohm handed it to him. She kept a hand just under the cup as if to encourage Kurt to drink just a little more. The push was unnecessary since as soon as the hot tea touched him lips, Kurt could feel the warmth spread through him and started drinking earnestly.

Ms. Bohm kept talking while she was helping keep Kurt up. Kurt let the soft voice wash over him and he started to relax back into her when he finished his tea. Ms. Bohm quickly took the cup from him and put it on Noah's nightstand. From what Kurt could gather, Noah's mom was telling a story about the tree in his backyard and how his dad made it grow from pure stubbornness. Kurt smiled and started to feel heavier and heavier. It wasn't until he felt Ms. Bohm gently shake him that he realized that he had fallen asleep.

"Come, Kurt. Lay down on Noah's bed for a while. You've had a very hard day and it's not even noon. A little bit of rest will do you good."

Kurt just gave into the gentle pushing and pulling from Ms. Bohm, who did not rest stop until he was curled up on Noah's bed. Once she had him situated, she sat down and started to comb her fingers through his hair and started to sing softly. At first, Kurt just let the melody go through him as background noise to the gentle caressing then he listen to the words. It was "Once Upon a December." After he watch Anastasia when he was little, it became his favorite lullaby. As he let the familiar words comfort him, he could almost hear his mom singing with Noah's.

"Dancing bears

Painted wings

Things I almost remember,

And a song someone sings

Once upon a December

Someone holds me safe and warm,

Horses prance through a silver storm,

Figures dancing gracefully,

Across my memory,

Far away, long ago

Glowing dim as an ember,

Things my heart used to know

Once upon a December

Someone holds me safe and warm,

Horses prance through a silver storm,

Figures dancing gracefully,

Across my memory,

Far away, long ago

Glowing dim as an ember,

Things my heart used to know

Things it yearns to remember

And a song someone sings

Once upon..."

The song slowly faded away as Kurt fell asleep.

GleeGleeGleeGleeGleeGlee

Kurt was felt a hand roughly grab his arm. He turned to see the face of Albert Nelson looking back at him. There was a wicked smile on his face and his eyes were gleaming. "You thought you would be safe with your boyfriend, you fucking fairy. You thought that that punk that you sucked off could keep you safe." The mad man laughed. Kurt didn't know how Nelson found him at Noah's house but he had. Kurt had hoped that because of the police, Nelson would have left town but the man was in Noah's room with him. But where was Noah? Where was his mom and sister? How had the crazed man find him?

Kurt tried to get away but he realized was tied up. His hands were tied wrist to wrist with zip ties and his ankle were strapped together similarly. He tried to yank them apart but all that happened was his wrist hurt. Kurt heard Nelson laugh at his attempts to break free. Kurt was grabbed again and thrown onto the floor in the middle of Noah's room. He tried to get up when he saw Noah laying on the floor gagged trying to speak. Noah was struggling to get to him but Nelson moved from Kurt to Noah. He grabbed Noah by his shirt. "I would have missed the fact that he was a fag too but thanks to you, I found him. He probably wouldn't even be a fairy if it wasn't for a cock whore like you. Fags like you try to turn real men into fairies like you."

Nelson stopped talking and started to kick Noah in the stomach. Kurt could see that Noah was trying not to show his pain. He had a tight smile on his face. The one that Noah had on a lot the last few hours. It was a smile that mean he was trying to protect Kurt from his dark thoughts but Kurt knew. Kurt tried to move to Noah but Nelson turned back to Kurt. "You're trying to protect your faggot boyfriend. Isn't that sweet?"

Out of no where a bat appeared in Nelson's hand and he turned Noah so Kurt could see his face. "Don't worry, fag. You'll see your boyfriend in Hell and you'll be there soon too. After all, faggots need to burn." Kurt started to scream but no one came as Nelson started to beat Noah with a vengeance. Kurt kept hearing the breaking of bones and blood started to come out from under Noah's shirt. Kurt keep screaming as Nelson moved from hitting Noah in the torso and started to hit him in the chest. He heard Noah's fingers break as Nelson stepped on Noah's fingers as he tried to get better angles to hit Noah from.

Kurt could see Noah's gaze go blank like his mother's had when she died. The light in the brown eyes that looked at him with such adoration as of late looked those from an old doll's. They becoming dim and cloudy. Nelson stopped hitting Noah and stepped away and suddenly, Noah's body was on fire. Nelson smiled and repeat. "Faggots need to burn..." Kurt felt Nelson grab him and start taking him out of the room but he fought to stay with Noah. He started to kick out and try to hit Nelson when he felt more hands on him. He tried to fight harder but they were everywhere. They started shaking him and he could hear voices yelling for him over and over again.

Kurt jerked awake to see Noah and his mother. The three of them were on Noah's bed and Kurt was in the middle with Noah and his mother on either side. Kurt looked from one to the other and felt relief mixed with confusion. Behind Noah's mom, Kurt could see Sarah watching them with worry clear on her face. Noah grabbed him tightly. "Princess, you had a bad dream. We heard you screaming and ran upstairs thinking the worse. You have no idea how scared we were."

Kurt turned so he could look at Noah. He framed Noah's face with his hands making sure that this Noah was real and not about to disappear into thin air. "It was a dream. Oh thank Gucci."

Kurt could feel Noah's mom's hand rub up and down his back. "Yes sweetie, it was just a dream. You were asleep for a few hours and we were just about to wake you up so we could have a late lunch when we heard you scream. But you are safe and everything will be fine. It was all just a dream."

Kurt nodded as he set his head on Noah's shoulder. "Dreamt...It was horrible."

Noah spoke up. "Do you want to tell us about it?"

Kurt looked at Noah and his mom but his eyes settle on Noah's little sister. Marc Jacobs, the little girl must think that Kurt was such a freak.

Noah's mom seemed to understand and spoke to her daughter. "Sarah, could you get the bags from earlier today and some water for Kurt."

Nodding, Sarah quickly left and Ms. Bohm turned back to Kurt. "If you want, I can leave too."

Kurt shook his head. The older woman had a smoothing effect on Kurt and he needed it as he told his story. "I was in here and the man who broke into my house was here. He had tied me up and...and...and he made me watch...as...as...he beat...beat...Noah...He killed Noah...He made me watch...as he killed Noah." Kurt started to shake and started speaking quickly. "He kept saying it was my fault. That it's my fault that he found Noah. I watched Noah die. He killed him...There was nothing I could do...He killed him...He killed Noah." Kurt started to repeat himself as rocked back and forth in Noah's arms.

Noah's arms tightened around Kurt. "Kurt, princess, I'm fine. Nothing happened to me. That psycho is not here. He's not going to do anything to me."

Kurt shook his head. "You can't promise me that. You can't be sure."

Ms. Bohm nodded. "You're right, Kurt. He can't but he can be careful and let the police take care of him just like they are with you. He can stay safe with their help as well as mine." Ms. Bohm moved so she could see into Kurt's eyes. "Kurt, I swear I'll do whatever it takes to keep you and Noah safe."

Kurt shook his head. "But Ms. Bohm..."

Noah's mom shook her head. "Not Ms. Bohm. This is your Auntie Ella talking. The same Auntie Ella that scared away the monsters at sleepovers, the same Auntie Ella that kissed you booboo when you were little and the same Auntie Ella that is going to keep you and her son safe with everything she has. I love you, Kurt. You don't have to be strong and invincible with me or Noah for that matter. You can lean on us to help you. If you are scared, tell me or Noah. There's no shame in sharing your fears. Ask Noah, he's been telling me his problems for years. There's nothing that can't be made better by asking for help. You don't have to handle things alone. I've already talked to Officer Willis and made arrangement to have Noah looked after. Officer Willis told me that he's going to have people watching over you, too. You have people looking out for you and Noah. Don't make yourself sick with worry about something you can't control. Bad things happen sweetie and we have to do our best to make sure they don't happen again and that's what we are doing."

Noah nodded. "Mom's right Kurt. Mom and I already talked about what was happening and how to make sure I wasn't going to get hurt either. She knows everything that I know and it does make it better to tell mom. She has a way of making things seem better even if they aren't."

Ms. Bohm smiled a little. "It's a parental power."

Sarah came to the door. "Mom, I have the bags."

Ms. Bohm moved away from Kurt a little and motioned for her daughter to come closer. Kurt felt a little awkward since he knew looked like such a mess and he didn't know what Noah's sister knew or understood about what had happened today. He really didn't want her to worry about him or Noah like Ms. Bohm was.

Sarah placed the glass of water on the nightstand before crawling over the bed so she sat right in front of Kurt with her bags. She reached into the bag and pulled out an old stuffed animal. "This is the Courageous Lion. I've had him as long as I can remember. He helps me sleep at night when I have a bad dream. You can borrow him until you feel better." She push the old lion towards Kurt.

Kurt slowly took the lion from her and pulled in close to him. He didn't remember much about being eight other than loosing Tan-Tan and his mom but he knew that letting someone borrow a special stuffed animal was still a big deal. "Thank you."

Sarah nodded. "He's very good at keeping scary dreams away."

Ms. Bohm wrapped an arm around her daughter. "That was very thoughtful, Sarah. Now, show Kurt what else you have."

Sarah smiled and reached into the bag. "Mom and I went shopping for you since you don't have that many cloths right now and let's be honest, you probably don't want to show up to school looking like my brother. I mean it's okay for him but I'm sure you want to actually look good."

Noah huffed. "I look good and he looks good in my stuff. Maybe he wants to go to school looking like me."

Sarah shook her head. "Noah, you don't even know who Nina Gracia is."

Noah replied. "Is she that model?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "No, she was on Project Runway. Yes, I know that doesn't make her the most influential person in fashion but the fact that she is the director of Marie Claire magazine does."

"What's Marie Claire magazine?" Noah asked.

Sarah shook her head in disgust. "It's a fashion magazine that's sold around the world, Noah. Seriously, you should learn more about things that don't have to do with footballs."

Kurt nodded. The girl did know more than Noah but that wasn't really hard.

Noah snorted. "Whatever. Let's see what you have before you start mocking my clothes."

Sarah turned her attention back to Kurt. "Um, mom and I had to go to the mall near us so it's not the best clothing but it kind of works. We got some preppy sweater and a few long sleeve T-shirts that kind of have that euro-trash look. We got some jeans that are a lot tighter than Noah's since that's what would go with the shirts but I think we have one or two that are almost skinny jeans." Sarah started to pull out cloths as she spoke.

Kurt's eyes widened. He knew that Noah was working hard to make some money to give to him mom but now they had just used a good part of that extra cash to get him clothes without him asking. "Oh my, you really didn't have to do this."

Sarah turned to Kurt anxious. "Do you like them?"

Kurt really looked at the clothes that they had gotten. It wasn't exactly what he would have chosen but they were close. Heck, he was sure he had... or used to have outfits worth more than everything laid out put together but the spread was pretty fashionable for having found them at the local mall. Kurt usually had to go to Columbus to really shop and even then a good portion of his clothing was from online shops. The clothes that Sarah and her mom picked were a very good attempt at his look though. He let go of Noah and put his hand on Sarah's. "Thank you. They are amazing."

Sarah smiled. "It's more fun trying to dress you than Noah. You can just get him a jersey and he's happy."

Kurt smiled for the first time since he woke up. "Maybe next time you go shopping I can come with." He wanted to pay back the family for everything they had gotten him and knew it was harder to say no to gifts than it was to say no to cash.

Sarah's smile brightened. "Really? That would be amazing."

Noah's mom smiled at Kurt and her daughter. "That would be wonderful. Now, why don't we get all this clothing off the bed and give Kurt a chance to freshen up before lunch."

Kurt looked at Noah's mom. "Ms. Bo..." Kurt saw the slightly sad look on Noah's mom's face as he spoke. "Um, Auntie Ella?"

Ella smiled widely at Kurt. "Yes, sweetie?"

Kurt started to wind his finger in Noah's jersey. "Can I take a shower?"

Nodding, the older woman got up. "Of course. The bathroom is right across the hall. Noah can show you before he comes down to help me with lunch." She turned to Sarah. "Come on, my little princess. Let's go check your homework."

Sarah sighed as she got off of Noah's bed. "Mom, I'm too old to be your little princess."

Noah's mom smiled as ushered her daughter out. "Well, Noah calls Kurt princess..."

Kurt tuned out the rest of what Auntie Ella said as he turned to Noah. He draped himself in Noah's lap and gave Noah a strong hug. "I'm so happy you're okay."

Noah nodded. "It's just a dream, princess. I know it shook you up but I'm fine."

"Yes, but it was so real Noah." He moved so he could face Noah. "Are you sure you want to date me?"

Noah kissed Kurt on the forehead. "Yes, I'm absolutely sure. Anyway, I'm pretty sure if you don't go out with me that you'll break my heart. I might not be so happy with you if that happened. I just found you again. Don't make me loose you."

Kurt nodded. "I don't know what would happen to me if I lost you now either."


	28. Chapter 28

Edited by I AM AIR

* * *

Kurt checked the hallway before he darted across to Noah's room in only a towel. Noah had let him stay in his lap for a few minutes after Sarah and his mom left before pushing him towards the bathroom. Auntie Ella was right that the shower had helped. Yes, he didn't have his normal products to make sure this skin was absolutely perfect. However, he felt like he was leaving layers of worry in the shower drain with the water and dirt. When he got to Noah's room, he checked to see if Noah was still in there. Knowing the wide receiver, Kurt wouldn't put it past Noah to try something since he would know that Kurt would only have a towel on. The room was clear, though, and Kurt quickly found the bags that Auntie Ella and Sarah had shown him earlier. He grabbed one of the long sleeve T-shirts and a pair of skinny jeans. While he grabbed the shirt, he noticed a bag of underwear at the bottom of the bag. Kurt sighed in relieve. He had been wondering if he would have need to steal a pair of Noah's, since he would rather not going commando. He wouldn't have minded sharing clothes with Noah, but underwear was a little personal.

He grabbed a pair and started getting dressed. When he finished, he went back to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He looked okay. The outfit was not up to his usual standards of flare but at the same time, it showed how much these new people in his life cared for him. That gave the outfit a lot more significance than some of the clothes he lost due to the psycho. Ms. Bohm had decided to get him clothes out of the kindness of her heart with money that she probably needed for more important things than clothing him. Kurt walked back into Noah's room and went to Noah's closet. He saw quite a few jerseys hanging up. He went through them until he found one that was a bit smaller than the rest and threw it on. He was pretty sure that Noah wouldn't mind him grabbing a shirt from him, especially since Noah had made so many comments about how Kurt looked good in his clothes. Kurt went back to the washroom and looked at himself again. The long sleeve shirt was tight, so the jersey looked fine over it. Actually, the jersey wasn't even that large on him. It looked old and beaten up with the letter C, from 'Puckerman,' coming off a little. It was probably one of Noah's from when he was playing middle school football, but it fit Kurt well. The jersey made Kurt feel a little safer than before. He smiled at his reflection. If anyone from school saw him in this outfit, there would rumors all over the place about Noah and him. For once, though, the rumors would be true, unlike the ones that were going around about how he gave blowjobs to the football team so he could be the kicker. Seriously, some people would believe anything.

Kurt walked out of the bathroom and started to go down to the kitchen. Kurt was of two minds about telling everyone about Noah and himself. On the one hand, he was itching to pick up the phone and call Mercedes to tell her everything that was happening with him and the wide receiver. After all, this was the first time a guy had asked him out or really shown any interest in him in that way. Though now that he thought about it, he would have to charge his phone if he wanted to call her. He should probably ask Noah to borrow his charger for a little while.

The other part of him was worried about the fall out. He could remember how bad it had been coming out of the closet at school, even with most of the other students already suspecting that he was gay. Most people didn't seemed surprised, but it had started the wave of real abuse from the jocks. That was an other point that Noah hadn't thought about. Was Noah really willing to loose his friends over Kurt? The rest of the team had just started talking to Noah again after that mess with Finn. Kurt wasn't so sure if they would be as willing to stay at Noah's side if they found out he was gay. Sure, Dave would be a big help in their corner but it wouldn't stop the rest of the group from turning their backs on Noah.

That was only the silly high school drama part. What about the crazy guy who was destroying his life? He would probably go after Noah if Noah came out of the closet. Heck, Officer Willis was worried about him already going after Noah and that was without any announcement of their relationship. He really didn't want Noah to get hurt because of him.

Also, they couldn't be sure this would last. What if they dated and then broke up? Noah wasn't gay but Kurt knew that once someone was branded as gay, especially in a little town like Lima, there was little one could do to change that image. It wasn't fair to Noah if this didn't work out and he couldn't date girls again because of what happened between him and Kurt. There was seriously no reason they should tell anyone else, except maybe his dad, about what was happening. It was just too big of a risk.

Kurt wrapped him arms around his stomach as he reached the last step. He could feel the jersey between his fingers and it comforted him as he looked at the scene before him. What would Noah being ostracized for being gay do to this happy scene of the mom and her two children, milling around each other to get lunch ready? How would that added stress change this happy family? After all they had done, wouldn't it be selfish of Kurt not to hide the relationship with Noah from the lime light at least for a while? He didn't want this family to go through the same thing him and his dad were going through. It would be heartbreaking to see another family breaking up because their child were gay.

Kurt stepped towards the kitchen as he tried to smile. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Noah looked up from his spot at the stove and smiled at Kurt. "No, princess. I think we are good. Mom decided to combine lunch and dinner since we are eating so late, so be prepared to eat a lot. Not that you have an issue with eating a lot." Noah laughed.

"You shouldn't tease the guest, Noah." Miss Bohm said as she walked passed Kurt with a bowl of salad. "Do you feel better now?"

Kurt nodded at Noah's mom, but didn't speak. He felt a little cleaner, but it still felt as if there was a layer of grime under his skin that he couldn't get off. It was as if the hate had decided to seep into his pores and take root in his body. He felt disgusting. It wasn't something new to Kurt since he had dealt with feeling ugly emotions from others for such a long time. But this was worse than usual. This man, who was terrorizing him, was doing it just because he was gay and no other reason. Kurt had never given this guy a cutting remark or taken his spot in line. No, Kurt's only fault was that he was gay and open about it. It made the hate even more frightening.

Kurt shook his head trying to get the bad thoughts out of his head as he turned back to Noah. "Are you sure I can't help?"

Noah shook his head. "The pancakes are almost done. Mom is watching the oven so all we have is a little wait until linner."

"Linner?" Kurt questioned.

Noah nodded as he put another pancake onto the stack. "We didn't have lunch since it's way past time for lunch but it's only four-ish and unless, you are old enough for the early bird special, this is too early for dinner so linner."

Sarah came up next to Kurt with a smile. "We are getting breakfast for linner."

Kurt smiled slightly. Breakfast had always Kurt's favorite meal. Probably since most breakfast foods were either really fattening or really sugary, or sometimes there were amazing combinations of the two. It was bad for you, but oh so wonderful.

Sarah gave him a measuring look before tugging on the jersey he was wearing. "You didn't like the shirt?"

Kurt didn't know how to answer without hurting Sarah's feeling or making himself look like a complete mess. Yes, he was wearing the jersey over his clothes because he felt safer in it. If he had been at home, he would have grabbed one of his dad's mechanic shirts with the slight smell of oil still on it. Actually, he would have preferred that to what he was currently wearing. No matter how unfashionable it was.

Noah must have realized how uncomfortable Kurt, was since he answered his little sister. "It's the same reason why half of my shirts seem to mysterious find their way into your hamper."

Sarah looked at Kurt and nodded. "Noah's shirts are awesomely comfy."

Kurt nodded as Sarah turned back to her brother. "Are you almost done?"

Noah nodded. "That is the last pancake. I'm going to start the eggs right now. Go grab some bowls and plates."

Sarah nodded as she darted past Noah. "Should I warm up the syrup, too?"

Noah nodded and turned to Kurt. "You're lucky that mom's not on one of her strict Jewish kicks. I think there was a streak of five years where I had to sneak out to eat a cheeseburger."

Kurt was confused. "But I thought that you said that you tried to stay Kosher?"

Noah shrugged. "What can I say? We're not the best of Jews. We don't have the separate plate thing going on, we sometimes mix dairy with meat and eat at restaurants that definitely don't know what Kosher is. It's more a suggestion than a rule in the house. But not at my grandma's..." Noah looked a little nervous. "Well, let's just say that the bacon thing is more from a fear of her than God most days."

As Sarah moved past Noah, Noah turned to Kurt. "Could you grab the pancakes? I have to scramble the eggs."

Kurt nodded and grabbed the high stack of pancakes. As he put them in the middle of the table, he watched the Puckerman/Bohm family moved through the kitchen. Noah manned the stove while Ms. Bohm was working on a fruit salad and gently moving Noah to look into the oven. Sarah dropped the plates off on the table and darted back to warm up the maple syrup.

Ms. Bohm took out a sheet of breakfast fries and a sheet of chicken strips out of the oven. She gave Kurt a knife. "Could you cut up the chicken strips into little bite size pieces?"

Kurt nodded and Ella started prying the breakfast potatoes off of the sheet. Sarah crept to her side and started to lay the bowls out for her to fill.

Kurt realized that they were making a chicken topper. It was one of his favorite meals when he was little. It was made by accident one night when there was left over chicken strips and French fries at Auntie Ella's, but Kurt instantly loved it. Auntie gave everyone a little bit of each then topped it with runny eggs and white gravy. It probably was horribly innutritious, but it was delicious.

Kurt finished cutting the chicken strips and handed them to Noah's mom. She smiled and put them on top of the breakfast fries. Sarah grabbed two of the bowls and moved over to Noah, who covered them with the eggs he was finishing. Aunt Ellla moved back to the stove and waited for Sarah to cover them with the gravy that had been simmering on the stove. Sarah returned the finished bowl and placed one before Kurt. She grabbed the other two bowls before turning to Kurt. "If you want, you can take some pancakes. Mom says that guests get first dibs."

Kurt smiled. "How about I plate them for everyone?"

Ms. Bohm smiled. "Sure sweetie. Give Sarah and me two each. The rest are for you and Noah. If you could, would you put some of the fruit salad on the plates too?"

Kurt nodded and started to set up the plates. By the time Kurt was done, Noah had taken off his apron and everyone was in their seats. Noah sat next to Kurt with his seat close enough to touch the smaller boy's. Kurt coyly watched as Noah moved closer. Much to his horror, Sarah giggled a little as Noah moved. Noah just smiled widely as he took his fork and started eating as if Kurt was there everyday.

Kurt smiled at that. He knew that Noah was trying to make him feel better. Kurt didn't seem to have any way of dealing with everything that was happening to him. he knew it was a traumatic experience but he still wanted an easy fix so he could be his normal self without feeling so fake all the time. He did know, however, that he was very thankful that Noah was being so good to him during the whole mess.

Linner was quiet since everyone was hungry. Kurt hadn't really felt hungry until he tasted the chicken topper. He quickly polished off his food and moved to clean his plate when Noah's mom stopped him. "Leave it right there. I'll get it in a second."

Kurt didn't feel right about that. "It's the least I can do since you, Noah, and Sarah all made food."

Noah's mom shook her head. "It's fine. Just come back and keep us company while we finish eating."

Kurt looked from the sink to the table but still slowly made his way back to his seat. He didn't feel right about not helping clean up, but he also didn't want to argue with Auntie Ella about dishes. He would try to find something else to do to make up for not helping later.

When Kurt sat down, he felt Noah's hand fall into his lap. He looked over to see the other football player trying to smile. It seemed that even the very-laid-back wide receiver was stressed from the goings on of the day. Kurt put his hand over Noah's and squeezed softly.

Sarah was done with her food and relaxed back into her seat. She looked at Kurt as she spoke. "Are you always this quite? You should talk more."

Noah snorted at the odd remake from his sister. Kurt glared at Noah then turned back to Sarah. "Um, usually I talk more than this. I'm just a little tired."

Sarah nodded. "Sundays are good days for being lazy." She glanced at her mom. "Unless you have homework, because mom always makes me do my homework on Sunday."

Ms. Bohm smiled. "That's because you are a very busy little girl and you need to do your homework sometime."

Sarah groaned. "But you are always telling me to do my homework and it's so boring."

Noah interjected. "Just get it done, Buttercup. Whining won't change mom's mind."

Sarah turned to Noah with a soft glare. "You are a weirdo. You like homework."

Noah took his hand off of Kurt's knee and looked a little shy. "I don't like homework."

Sarah disagreed. "Yes, you do. Mom never has to tell you to do your homework and you get straight A's and you never seem to study. You're weird."

Noah leant forward to glare at his sister. "No, I'm not."

Sarah bent towards her brother. "Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not." Noah said as he got up and advanced on his sister.

Sarah slid out of her chair. "Are. Are. Are."

Noah slowly started to walk around the table. "Not. Not. Not."

Sarah squealed and ran to the other side of the table. "Are. Are. Are"

Noah narrowed his eyes. "Not. Not. Not!" Noah lunged after his sister and started to chase her around the room.

Auntie Ella just rolled her eyes and let the two of them cause chaos as she started to clear the table. Kurt was about to get up and help when he found himself landed on by Sarah. "Help me. Your boyfriend's going to eat me."

Noah had slowed down. "Yup, little girls are perfect desserts after a good meal."

Kurt couldn't help but laugh at the pair of them. He tightened his hold on Sarah and turned to Noah. "Don't worry. I'll save you from the evil Noah."

Noah straightened up as Sarah giggled at Kurt's lowered voice. "And how will you do that?"

Kurt smiled evilly. "Easy." He looked at Noah's mom who was watching the group with amusement. "Auntie Ella, Noah's being mean." He mock whined.

Ms. Bohm laughed. "Noah, be nicer to Kurt and stop bothering your sister."

Noah sputtered slightly. "But mom..."

Sarah wrapped Kurt in a hug. "How shall I ever repay you, you mysterious black-clad hunk of a night thing?"

Kurt was confused but Noah laughed and returned the next line back to Sarah, since he noticed Kurt had no idea what was going on. Noah deepened his voice as he spoke. "No need little lady, your tears of gratitude are enough for me. You see, I was once a badass vampire, but love and a pesky curse defanged me. Now, I'm just a big, fluffy puppy with bad teeth." Noah playfully shut his teeth hard next to Sarah's neck, who was burying herself closer to Kurt as she laughed.

Ms. Bohm interrupted. "Noah, swearing."

Noah sighed. "Sorry, mom."

Ms. Bohm leaned against the counter as she smiled softly. "Why don't the three of you go to the basement and get some of that homework I know you have done?"

Noah nodded and pulled Sarah off of Kurt's lap. "Let's go see what evils are a part of the 3rd grade now-a-days."

Kurt hesitated for a second before following. All of his books were at his house, which meant that wasn't going to be able to get to them any time soon. He didn't know if the books were even usable. Actually, he didn't know what was going on at his house at all. He started feeling sick to his stomach, however, when he thought about going back. The house was as messed up as he felt. He wanted to call his dad but his phone was still dead and he felt odd asking Noah for his.

Noah settled his sister down on the couch and then turned towards Kurt. "Hey, I charged your phone while you were asleep. It should be good to go." Noah fished into his pocket and took out the iPhone.

Kurt smiled at the larger boy. It was almost like he was psychic "Thanks...Um, do you mind if I call my dad?"

Noah shook his head. "Nay, just head up to my room though if you want some privacy." He patted Sarah's head. "This one still hasn't stopped eavesdropping yet."

Sarah punched her brother on the leg. "That's not true. I never listen in. It's you who is always in my business. Most of the guys in my class..."

Kurt blended out the conversation after that as he moved up the stairs. He smiled tightly as he went up to Noah's room. The guilty about leaving his dad alone in the house was back and stronger than ever. He hoped his dad really did understand why he had to leave. Kurt frowned as he reached Noah's room. It was a horrible thing to leave his father alone right now. His dad not only had to deal with the fact that his house was broken into but was dealing with finding his son was fine after a night of thinking the worst happened to him. He felt like a horrible person. No, he felt like a horrible son, right now.

Kurt softly shut the door and called his dad. A few seconds later, his father answered. "Hummel."

"Hey, dad."

"Kurt! Are you okay? I called earlier but Ella said that you were sleeping." Kurt's father said quickly with worry evident in his voice.

Kurt smiled a little at the mothering his dad was trying to do over the phone. "I'm fine, dad. I just wanted to check how you were doing."

There was a pause before Burt answered. Kurt could picture his dad running his hand over this head as he usually did when he was trying to find the right words. His voice was strained when he finally spoke. Kurt could hear the worry and the wariness in it. "I'm doing okay. Officer Willis said that there wasn't much for me to do at the house so I'm over at Carole's. Finn brought me over since he thought I looked a little green around the gills when I was leaving. Do you want to come over here? I'll grab Carole's car and be right over."

Kurt felt like he had been punched in the gut. He knew he had been selfish when he asked to come over to Noah's, rather than staying at the house with his dad but now hearing how Finn had stepped up and started taking care of his dad, he felt worse. He already knew he had been causing his dad so many problems lately and Finn was such a better fit for his dad. There was, not only, the pyscho that seemed fixated on him, but there were also the horrible phone calls that his dad had been getting because he came out of the closet. Then there was the lying about getting pummeled at school and the lying about where he was a few times, so he could escape the happy family that his dad was making. Not that his dad knew about that last one, but Kurt still felt guilty about it. Now, when his dad needed him, he was hiding at Noah's. What kind of son was he?

Finn, on the other hand, seemed to be there for his dad. He had stayed with his dad at the house and taken his dad to his and Carole's house so Burt could recover. Combine that with the ability to understand what was happening in a football game, actually most sports really, Finn's wonderful idea about volunteering working at his dad's garage regularly rather than Kurt's "when he was free" attitude, and just put 'not being gay' on top of it all, it was easy to see why his dad had taken to the other boy so quickly. He really couldn't blame Finn for taking advantage of his dad's willingness to hang out, since he knew how amazing his dad was and Finn hadn't had a dad in a long time. It made sense the Finn was enjoying the arrangement as much as his dad was.

Understanding that his dad was getting to do all the things he wanted to do with Kurt but with Finn should make Kurt feel better about the whole situation since everyone seemed to be happy right now. Okay so he wasn't really fine with it, but being petty about the situation wasn't helping either. Maybe he should just start being more accepting of his new position in his dad's life. Being juvenile had not helped him at all, so maybe being the bigger man and letting his dad be happy about his new family without being a brat would be better for everyone involved. Maybe if he just wasn't around as much to see the happy family moments, it wouldn't be so painful to watch his dad drift away.

"No, I'm fine dad. You can stay there and get some rest. It must have been a long day for you since you drove back to Lima in the middle of the night. I'm fine. Auntie Ella made sure I took a shower and ate so I feel better than I did earlier. Auntie Ella even went out to buy some clothes for me while I was asleep so I wouldn't have to keep wearing Noah's clothes. I mean they were comfy, but I'm sure he doesn't want me to steal his cloth continuously."

Burt's laugh was harsh as it came over the line. "I was wondering where you got that outfit. It looked more like something out of my closet than yours."

Kurt cringed a little. He knew he should tell his dad what was happening between himself and Noah, especially since he already figured out there was some kind of attraction between them, but Kurt felt the phone was not the right way to tell his dad about his first date. Then again with everything else that his dad was dealing with, was it even right for him to bother his dad with the information since there was no real guarantee that it would last? Maybe he should keep it from his dad for a while.

"Noah invited me over for dinner last night since I was by myself and I spilt on my clothes during dinner. Noah lent me the clothes since the stain would have set if it wasn't taken care of immediately." Well, technically it was all true.

"I'm just glad that you weren't in the house last night. Kurt, you don't understand how worried I was when I got that phone call." Kurt heard his dad sigh. "But you are okay and safe at Ella's. You better call before you go anywhere else so I can tell Officer Willis."

Kurt knew he would follow his dad's instruction about calling the police, mostly since the idea of being out in the open without protection scared the beejeezus out of him. After the nightmare, he felt guilty about coming over to Noah's house since he didn't know if the stalker had followed him here as well. He could have inadvertently put Noah and his family in danger by coming here and not having the police follow them. Though he was sure that Officer Willis would try to protect them, Lima was a small town and there were only so many Officers. "I'll make sure you know if I go anywhere, dad. I am pretty sure that Noah's going to keep me in the house as much as possible."

Burt seemed reassured when he answered. "I'm glad you have somewhere to stay that is safe."

Kurt was confused and a little worried. He didn't want to stay at Noah's tonight. At least, not without his dad. As kind as the Puckerman/Bohm family was, he still wanted to be with his dad. He felt alone and scared all of a sudden from the idea of being dumped at Noah's house until his dad came to get him. What if this was really the last straw in their slowly deteriorating relationship with his dad. Did his dad just want him to stay here while he stayed at Carole's and Finn? "Stay? Do you want me to ask Auntie Ella if I can stay here tonight?" All of Kurt was hoping that his dad said no.

Burt's answer was empathic. "No! No. I just meant that you were okay right now. I'm going to pick you up tonight and we'll figure out somewhere to stay. Carole already offered her place but I don't think that would be a good idea since we don't know how long we will actually be out of the house. I was hoping to cash in a favor from a friend who owns a hotel in town. I'm sure he'll let us stay there for a few days."

Kurt felt some of the tension that had seemed into his shoulders disappear. "Okay dad. That sounds good." Kurt heard something over the line.

Burt's voice seemed far away for a second before he came over the line clearly. "Hey, buddy. I have to go. Carole's calling me. Are you sure you're okay?"

Kurt didn't feel better or worse after talking to his dad. In fact, he actually felt more confused than before and Kurt didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "Yes, dad. Go figure out what Carole wants. I'll see you tonight?"

"Yeah, see you tonight." There was a brief pause before Burt hung up. "Call me if you want me to pick you up at anytime. I'll be over as soon as possible. Okay?"

"Of course, dad. I'll see you in a few hours. Bye dad." Kurt tried not to let his voice break as he said bye. He knew that he was just being over emotional but he wanted his dad here with him yet he knew his dad was better off where he was rather than dealing with his wreak of a child. A child who was probably a few minutes away from a complete break down. It would just make his dad feel worse and considering what was happening, it wasn't fair to make his dad deal with more.

"Okay, Kurt. I'll see you soon." Burt quickly hung up, leaving Kurt alone in Noah's bedroom with his thoughts. He flipped through his phone until he found a picture of him and his dad that Mercedes had taken. They looked so content in the photo. They were watching a show about rebuilding class cars, which both of them adored doing. Neither one of them was looking at the camera. They were actually talking about which car they wish they could rebuild. In that picture, the similarities between father and son was striking. There was no question about who was Kurt's dad. The gestures and facial features were completely the same. Kurt was Burt's son. That's what the picture showed.

Kurt folded his legs up and just looked at the happy picture. He wished he could just go back to that day. Or even just to that feeling of contentment and ease. It had only been a few months ago, but it seemed like it was ages. Kurt had no idea how long he had been in Noah's room until he was jarred out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. His voice seemed like it wasn't even his when he told the knocker to come in. Kurt tried to smile when he saw Noah. He must have failed spectacularly since Noah just walked up to the bed, sat down and pulled Kurt to him. A small part of Kurt felt bad because, as grateful that Noah was there holding him, he still wished it was his dad.


	29. Chapter 29

Edited by I AM AIR

Thanks so much for to Jessica LaRae and counrtybutterfly for finding corrections. Also I have re-edited all the chapters. There still will be problems but I hope it reads a little smoother.

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The pair stayed up in Noah's room until Noah slowly coaxed Kurt back into the basement where Sarah had already started working on her homework. She was lying on the floor, kicking her legs in the air as Noah sat down on the couch. Noah started to take more work out of his bag, which was on the floor next to him, and spread it out on the coffee table in front of Kurt and himself.

Kurt didn't have his books and asking Noah to borrow his seemed like it would take too much energy. He was already running low. Even though he was a straight A student, homework seemed like such a silly and unimportant thing to him right now. He just wanted to stay in his own little world outside of the harshness and responsibilities of the real one. Kurt noticed that Auntie Ella was not in the room, but it was too much effort to ask where she was. Kurt let the scraping of pencils and paper become soft background noise as he curled himself into a ball next to Noah. Every few minutes, Noah would let his hand fall onto Kurt's knee and Kurt noticed that every time the larger boy made the move, both of them seemed to become a little less tense and the hand would reappear as soon as Kurt tightened up like a spring.

Everything seemed to fade into the distance as Kurt tried to make himself numb. He knew it wasn't the healthiest way to deal with what was going on but right now he had more problems than energy. If he was going to make it out of this intact, he needed to refill his batteries so he could fight his way out of the mess that was threatening to turn him to a complete loon.

Kurt didn't even notice that Sarah was talking to him until he felt her hand touch his. He flinched and moved closer to Noah. As he turned to look at Sarah, he saw the bewilderment and worry clearly displayed on her face. He hadn't meant to make the little girl worry about him. It was bad enough that the rest of her family was trying so hard to make him feel better. It really wasn't her job to make his life better after all, compared to her he was an adult and should be facing his problems like one. "Sorry, I spaced out a little. What's up?" Kurt forced himself to say.

Sarah hesitated for a second before she answered. "I was wondering if you could help me with my history."

Before Kurt could answer, Noah spoke up without turning from his homework. "I'm almost done so I can help you in a second."

The guilt from ignoring Sarah, who had been so kind to him, caused Kurt to uncurl himself from Noah's side and turn her book to face him. He forced a smile onto his face as he started to skim the chapter. "No, it's fine. Maybe the work will help me out of my funk. Plus it's history." To Kurt, history was an easy subject and kind of fun since it was mostly stories from the past that were just trying to be recaptured. The way that his current teacher thought a history lesson should go was not fun at all though. Kurt was usually lucky if he didn't fall asleep during class. To be honest, he had faced a few near misses. Mr. Kirk sucked the entertainment out of the subject with his soft monotone voice.

Sarah smiled and sat in the little nook between the arm of the sofa and Kurt. "I don't really need much help. Just a double check of my answers."

Kurt nodded and started to look at the answers. He was able to focus enough on the work in front of him, that he could almost forget why he was here in Noah's basement rather than hanging out at his house with his dad. The work seemed to help him let all the bad events fade away a little. It was also a lot more productive than numbing himself to what was happening around him. Maybe if he just kept busy, he could get through this.

Noah closed his book a few minutes later and got up, stretching his arms over his head and lean back just a little. Noah had taken off his button up shirt sometime while Kurt had been asleep so the mohawk sporting teen was only in a black tank top and those amazing tight jeans. Kurt couldn't help but enjoy the view.

Kurt didn't have much time to appreciate it since Noah stopped stretching rather quickly and walked around the coffee table. "I'm going up. You two want anything?"

Kurt ducked his head, trying to hide the blush that Kurt knew had taken residence on his cheeks, again. It seemed that even in a time like this, his body just reacted like it normally would to a hot guy like Noah. Not only had he been staring at his friend/maybe-boyfriend like a perv, but now he was red in the face because of it. He shook his head and was relieved when he heard Sarah answer for both of them. "Kurt is almost done so we can come and grab something when we come up."

Kurt heard Noah start walking up the stairs. "Sounds good, buttercup."

Kurt turned back to Sarah's homework and noticed the little girl was right about not really needing help. So far she didn't have anything wrong but good grades seemed important to her so Kurt continued his check of her work.

There was a few seconds of silence before Sarah started to talk to Kurt about the horrible dramas that was happening in the third grade. Kurt tried not to laugh, since he knew that the drama that Sarah was going through with her friends liking or disliking the same people were very important at he age. It all seemed so simple and easy compared to what was happening in his life right now that it was kind of amusing. Kurt would have loved to go back to that kind of drama right now so Sarah's stories were a welcome distraction for Kurt from what he was dealing with.

He added his opinion of what she should do when it seemed warranted, but still managed to finish checking over Sarah's answers in less than ten minutes. He handed the book and homework back to the little girl and said, "I think everything looks alright."

Sarah smiled and packed her things away in her backpack. "Thanks, Kurt. Noah usually helps me but he seemed a little busy. Most of the time, he's done with his homework by now so he just sits here to make sure I do mine. I think he doesn't want to get into trouble with mom for not being a good brother."

Kurt felt guilty considering he had demanded Noah's attention all weekend long. It was no wonder Noah had no time to get his work done. So many people had told him that Noah really did do well in school so it should stand to reason that he spent a descent amount of time on his homework to get those good grades. Now because of Kurt, Noah was falling behind. Another thing that was his fault.

Sarah interrupted Kurt's thoughts by grabbing his hand and tugging him upstairs. Kurt had always wanted a little sibling and Sarah seemed happy taking over the position even though they had just met. Kurt couldn't decide if it was because Auntie Ella and Noah were so accepting of him, or that she was just that outgoing of a girl, but Kurt wished that he had a sibling like Sarah to tease like she did Noah. Instead, he was probably going to get a sibling who ordered him around and fought with him though maybe Finn could turn out to be a better brother than a love interest. That was still to be seen, though.

Auntie Ella was working on some kind of yarn project when Sarah and Kurt got upstairs. Kurt didn't really know that much about knit or crocheting or anything to do with that kind of project but the ball of yarn gave it away. He knew some of the end products were beautiful, but he was happy with just his knowledge of hemming and altering since they were a lot more useful to him. Auntie Ella smiled at them and put down her needles. "Are you two ready to go?"

Sarah nodded and went to grab her coat from Noah, who seemed to be waiting with coats in hand for the two of them. Noah walked over to Kurt, who looked questioningly at Noah.

The taller boy smiled as he handed Kurt his jacket. "We're going to Barb's for dessert." Noah had already donned his coat and seemed to have put his purple button up back on. Kurt didn't know if he was happy with the reappearance of the purple shirt. On the one hand, it did look good on Noah but on the other, the tank top was a lot tighter than the shirt was.

Noah's mom slid her arm into her coat as she spoke. "I already called your dad. He is going to meet us there."

Kurt smiled slightly. At least he wasn't making his dad drive all the way here to pick him up. "Thank you."

He quickly put on his coat as relief washed through his system since was going to see his dad soon. He knew his dad probably didn't blame him for what happened but until he heard it from his dad's lips, Kurt knew he would continue to feel anxious about what his dad thought. Especially since Kurt blamed himself for everything that was going wrong right now. Kurt wrapped his arms around himself as he wished the only family he had since his mom passed away was with him right now. As kind as the Puckerman/Bohm family were, he really wanted to be with his dad. He bit his lip as he tried to regain his composure. He had already lost it too many times today.

Kurt noticed Auntie Ella and Sarah were already out the door but when he started to make his way to the foyer, Noah grabbed his arm. "Hey princess, if you don't want to go, we can just hang out here."

Kurt shook his head. "I'm just a mess right, now." He tried but couldn't stop the sob from escaping his lips as he tried to be strong. "I just want my dad."

Noah pulled Kurt to him and wrapped him in a hug.

Kurt didn't feel the need to clutch to Noah like he had earlier. It wasn't that he didn't want the support his oldest friend was offering, but he just wanted to go Barb's and see his dad. He wanted the smell of old spice and car grease not zest soap and axe body spray. Kurt moved away from Noah slowly but took care not to push the larger boy off of him since Kurt knew the only reason why he was as sane as he was right now was because of Noah. It wasn't Noah's fault he wasn't the person that Kurt wanted at that moment. Though Kurt knew that after all that had happened, he probably wouldn't be able to cope without Noah near him either. The larger boy was starting to be his touching stone much like he had been when they were younger. If anything, Kurt knew he selfishly wanted both men around him at all times so he knew he was safe from anything that could hurt him. After all, who could beat the duo of Burt and Noah?

The car ride over to Barb's was a blur to Kurt, who spent most of it looking out the window from the back seat he shared with Noah. Kurt felt a million miles away from everyone else in the car. That was probably why he was holding Noah's hand so tightly. It was the only tether that was holding him to the real world.

Kurt was scared about being in such public place considering Officer Willis said that the local news would probably make the story a huge deal. He knew it was so they could find his stalker faster, but he didn't want to be a public figure. At least, not like this. It was hard enough going through town as it was, but being fingered as the gay kid by everyone was going to be even worse. Right now, most people just thought he was odd and eccentric. If they knew without a doubt that he was gay, it would be even worse.

He also knew that if the police didn't have a good eye on what was going on at the diner, he might be putting people who he cared about in danger by being out in public with him. In the past, Albert Nelson beat his own brother but he killed his brother's boyfriend. What if the little get together was the final piece that made the psycho realize how important Noah was to him?

Kurt didn't notice that they arrived at the diner until Noah tried to let go of his hand. Kurt looked at the jock, who also looked a little out of sorts himself, and was puzzled with what he saw. Noah had been a prince during all of his craziness. It was incredible that Noah was being so sweet when he could have easily just turned away from him. Honestly, considering the psycho after him, Kurt wouldn't even blame him. It was like Noah was the only good thing that really came out of everything that was happening to him.

"We're here, princess." Noah said softly.

Kurt nodded and noticed that Noah's mom and sister had already left the car. "Can we talk for a second?"

Noah nodded and moved closer to Kurt.

Kurt looked at the hand that was captured in his. Kurt brought his other hand over and started to play with the strong, callused fingers of the larger boy. "I know I've been moodier than usual lately, and I guess I just wanted to thank you for being so amazing. The last few weeks have been horrible for me and you've made a lot better than they could have been. I know I've been a little out of it and I don't mean to be so distant considering how wonderful you and your family have been... I just don't know how you can be so sweet to me when all you are getting is this crazy mess, but I swear I'll try to be better. I mean you've had to rescue me from bullies and now crazy stalkers. You've had to run interference with Finn and deal with me being childish whenever I'm not the center of your world and I really don't know what you see in me, but I don't know what I would have done if you weren't there here for me so just please don't leave me." Kurt said softly. His emotions were a mess by the time he finished speaking. He knew that Noah wasn't getting much out of staying with him and he couldn't figure one good reason for the other boy to stay with. But Kurt felt like if Noah left him now, he would come apart at the seams. In the last few weeks, Noah had crept into his life and become the only one he seemed to feeling comfortable with anymore. Everyone else seemed to fade into the background when Noah was around.

"Whoa, princess. Who said anything about leaving? It took me this long to get back to where we were when we were all those years ago. I'm not going to give that up because you're having a rough few days. Anyway with everything that's been happening, I think you've earned the right to lose it and not just a bit. Actually, you've got the right to go completely nuts and you're not. Shit, I don't even think you've pulled your normal diva thing in the last few days. Honestly, even if you decided to become the biggest pain in the ass on the planet, I would understand. And I know I've said it before but I promise I'll be here as long as you want, so stop worrying about that."

Kurt felt something in his stomach relax. He knew he shouldn't put so much stock into words but he could almost feel the truth in them. He felt like at least Noah would always be there for him no matter what happened to him. Noah was okay with him being clinging and chaotic. He was okay with Kurt at his worse and was still here with him. He leaned in towards, tilted his head and looked closely at the other boy.

Noah was exactly the type of guy that he had hoped his first kiss would be with. He was sweet and considerate, hot yet not horribly full of himself. Okay, the last part didn't really seem true but Kurt noticed Noah used his ego as a mask from the world just like Kurt used his sarcasm to keep people away. In the last few weeks, Kurt only saw Noah be that egoist jerk when Noah was easing the tension from the room. And, honestly, Kurt knew that Noah wasn't prefect but, really, who was?

Kurt closed his eyes and puckered his lips like he had seen in all of those romantic comedies he loved, but instead of Noah's lips against his, he felt a rough finger up. Kurt's eyes snapped open as he flinched back. Noah must have changed his mind about the whole dating thing and now Kurt felt like an idiot for trying to kiss him. Marc Jacobs, he hoped Noah would let him forget what happened and just sweep it under the rug in the name of the friendship that had just started up again.

Before Kurt could have a full fledged freak out, though, he was pulled close to Noah and felt Noah's lips on his forehead. Kurt was all sorts of confused now.

Noah must have known since he started to laugh. "Now princess, you have to stop tempting me. I promised you a date before your 'first kiss' and I want to deliver on that promise. If you keep trying to jump me, I don't think I'll be able to resist for long." Kurt felt his chin being lifted so he was looking into Noah's eyes. "Today was a horrible day and I want you only thinking about me and us when we kiss, not everything else. I want you to kiss me because you like me and want me not because you feel grateful because I didn't leave you. I don't want it as payment for not being a dick. I want you to kiss me because you just want to do it, like before when you were drunk off of the wine." Noah kissed Kurt's forehead again but Kurt could feel Noah laughing at his own comment. "Now, try to resist my hotness for a little longer. I know it's hard but I'm sure you can do it."

Kurt snorted and hit Noah. "Come on your hotness, let's get in there before your mom and my dad come looking for us."

Kurt looked around the parking lot as he rushed out of the car and to Noah's side. The parking lot seemed full. There was probably little to no hope that this night would end without Kurt trying hide from judgmental looks. Noah opened the door for him with a smile. Kurt returned his smile. He couldn't believe how amazing Noah was. He gave him a quick hug before walking it. It really wouldn't be hard fall completely over heal in love with Noah.

When Kurt walked through the door, he was shocked with what he saw. His friends from football and glee had filled the diner. Mercedes charged at him and grabbed him in a very strong hug. Kurt wondered if he had cracked his back or maybe bruised some ribs considering how tightly Mercedes' grip was.

"Bo, that's the second week in a row that you made me almost lose my mind." Mercedes said as she held Kurt close.

Kurt wrapped his arms around him as he scanned the room, searching for his dad. His dad was sitting in a booth with Carole and Finn. His dad waved to him and smiled. Kurt returned the smile slightly before turning away. The three of them looked comfortable together. Almost like the perfect family. Kurt was sure it wouldn't have been so bad if Finn had been sitting with some of the guys from football, but since the quarterback had been sitting one on side of his dad and Carole on the other, it showed Kurt that his dad had already found the support he needed.

He continued to scan the room and saw all his friends from glee, excluding Rachel. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't find Josh either. That was either really good news, or really bad news considering the date that the two of them had on Friday. Also missing from the diner was Dave, though Kurt did see Azimio was sitting in the corner trying to keep the guys who were at his table in some resemblance of control. Considering Berry and Jason were at his table, he must have had his work cut out for him. Kurt saw Sarah and Auntie Ella sitting at a table in the corner. Sarah was glancing around to all the people in the room but seemed more concerned with the menu in front of her than the loud teens around her. Kurt let Mercedes drag him to the table where most of the glee kids were sitting. Santana, Brit, Tina, Mike, Artie, and Matt were sitting at the table watching him move to the table. Brit smiled widely when she saw him, but the rest of the table's smiles were troubled. Kurt tried to smile but after the day that he had had, he didn't have the energy to pretend that he was anything but depressed.

Santana spoke up as the silence at the table was climbing. "So apparently, while we were busting our asses trying to find you, you were in dreamland at Puck's."

Kurt tried to smile and not blush at Santana's dig since he knew that she was just teasing him and knew it was only the fact that he was at Noah's that saved him the psycho. "Well, I blame Noah since he was the one who invited me over for dinner the night before."

Santana had a smile in her face that didn't quite reach her eyes. Kurt could see that his friend was truly worried about him and was trying to hide it behind her joke. "So you just started to hang out with him and you already know that 'everything is his fault'?"

Mercedes interrupted their jabs. "Well I, for one, am happy that mohawk decided to keep my Bo at his place. I heard some of what happened on the TV this afternoon. This guy sounds crazy."

Kurt shuddered. His issues were now being blasted all over the news thus the town. He really didn't want to know that. Now, everyone will be looking at him odder than before. He didn't want it but he knew this was coming. He was going to be pushed into the limelight not because of something that he did but because of something done to him. "How much did you hear?"

Before Mercedes could answer, back Mike jumped into the conversation. "Not that much. It just said that this guy, Albert Nelson, is being looked for because he was responsible for property destruction and hate crimes. It didn't really even mention you except for the part where they said that the guy was after was a teenager."

Kurt sighed in relief. At least there was no mention of who he was. Also, it didn't seem like they said why he was targeted. For all most of the towns people knew, it could be for any type of hate crimes. After all, people didn't just hate gay kids.

He glanced back to see where Noah was, and saw that Noah had moved over to the jocks. Kurt looked at all his teammates and was taken aback. It looked like the whole team, including all of the second string players, were there minus Josh and Dave. Kurt felt ungrateful that two of the people who were supporting him this week were missing from the gathering so he made his way to Noah after convincing Mercedes to finally letting go of him. Kurt didn't have Dave's or Josh's number, and he knew that Noah had everyone on the team's on his phone so he could just ask him for his phone to make the calls. He could call Rachel from his phone but if the date with Josh went badly, Kurt knew she wouldn't want everyone to know her business.

The three tables of jocks smiled at Kurt as he walked up to them. Kurt could see some relief in their eyes as he walked up to Noah. Noah must have been telling the boys what had happened for most of the day.

Kurt was amused as Berry almost fell out of his chair as he tried to make his way over to Kurt. Berry threw an arm around Kurt, and pulled him towards himself. "Little K, I was freaked out when my dad said he was at your house this morning. It was even worse when he told me to get a search party together. I tried to call Noah but it was before he got up so it was a no go. We're all glad that you crashed at his place, since the word is your place is trashed."

Kurt just nodded as he waited for Berry to let him go. Kurt was a little on edge so the causal touching that the boys usually partook in was a little unsettling. Noah must have noticed his discomfort, since he moved away from the table where Moser was sitting with some of the other second string to pull Kurt away from Berry. "So what's up, princess? Bored of the glee crowd already? I was sure that you wanted more girl time after your hot Fridays night with them."

Kurt heard laughter from the second string table and he saw what looked like Noah's phone being passed around the tables. Kurt turned to Noah and glared. "I thought that you were going to get rid of that picture."

Noah smirked. "First of all, it's pictures and I never said I was going to get rid of anything. In fact, I'm pretty sure I told you I was going to show it to all of the guys."

Kurt rolled his eyes and started to move towards Moser since he was currently holding Noah's phone. "Okay, hand it over."

Noah was right behind Kurt so he quickly grabbed the phone out of Kurt's hand after Moser handed it to the smaller boy with a slightly guilty look on Moser's face. "Who said you could have my phone, princess?"

Kurt knew Noah was trying to relieve some of the tension in the room with his whole class jerk routine, but he really started to miss the Noah he had spent the last few days with. Right now, he wanted to be coddled and not pushed around. "Noah, give me the fucking phone."

After the words came out of Kurt's mouth, a pin drop could be heard. One thing that everyone knew was Kurt Hummel did not swear. Noah's eyes seemed to widen to comically proportions as he looked at Kurt. "Princess, why don't we take this little chat to the kitchen for a minute?"

Kurt was furious, but knew he didn't want to start screaming like a lunatic in front of everyone. Heck, that might actually land him on the front page of the newspaper at school if he went up against Noah in the diner. Okay, considering what was happening to him, he knew he was going to be front news anyway, but this would be because he was being a diva for no good reason rather than the crazy stalker angle. Actually, that didn't sound too bad to Kurt but he still decided to listen to Noah. "Fine by me."

Kurt quickly moved to the kitchen with Noah hot on his heels. As soon as they reached the kitchen, Noah looked at the hand full of people back there and said. "Hey, guys do you mind giving me and Kurt here a few minutes? I swear I'll make sure nothing goes wrong in here."

The personnel in the kitchen seemed to take one look at the pair and quickly moved out. As soon as the last one left the kitchen, Kurt was quickly turned around and forced to face Noah. "What the hell was that, Kurt?"

Kurt could feel his nostrils flare. "Oh, you mean when I actually didn't want to be the butt of every one's joke?"

Noah glared at Kurt. "You know that I wasn't really making fun of you."

Kurt snorted. "Well, maybe I don't like the Jekyll and Hyde thing that you have going on. Where was the guy who was so nice to me all weekend? Where is the guy who was cuddling with me in the car?"

Noah let go of Kurt and backed up. "I'm still here, princess. You are the one who said that we should take it slow and that you didn't want everyone to know what was going on. I hate to tell you that if I acted even a little like the way I normal do with you, everyone in this would be able to see it from the second we stepped into the diner. That's not really what your mad about, is it? Because I don't mind going in there and tell everyone what is going on."

Kurt snorted. "As if anyone would believe a guy like you would be gay."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "A guy like me? What do you mean a guy like me?"

Kurt glared. "You don't know anything about being gay." Kurt started to pace in the kitchen. "You've never had to deal with the looks and the jeers that I get. You've never been pointed out on the street as the fairy or gotten phone calls to your house to your dad about how horrible it is that his son's queer."

Noah's face transformed from anger to concern as he listened to Kurt speak. "Jesus, princess." He quickly moved in front of Kurt and stopped his pacing. "What's going on here? The truth."

Kurt was still mad though Noah looking at him like that was making it harder for him to stay that way. "Well, I don't know Noah. Could it be that I had my car completely totaled last week or that my house was broken into sometime last night and destroyed? Could it be that there is a psycho coming after me? Or maybe it's that fact that the whole town knows it too? Tyra Banks, I bet some of the people figured out that it was me that they are talking about and probably think that he's doing the right thing going after the queer kid. Hell, I bet that he even gets a facebook following with support from half of this hick town.

"Maybe I'm just sick of everything Noah. Maybe I just want the whole world to leave me in peace for two seconds before sending me more crap to deal with? Is it too much to ask just to be allowed to make a few phone calls to some friends without being made fun of for some stupid pictures? Or maybe I should just be happy that you aren't beating the crap out of me now that you've magically figured out that you were gay, too? Heck, I bet you don't even want to tell the guys because you don't want them to know you got queer on you from me. I know it must make your stomach turn to like someone like me. I bet that the only reason you're even with me is because you thought that the queer kid must be easy to get in the sack since no one else would touch him with a ten foot pole. You'll probably just use me to get off until you can start your pool business up and then you'll disappear. Isn't that right?" Kurt was glaring at Noah who seemed to take the assault of word easily as if Kurt hadn't spewed venom at him.

Noah didn't even nod when he noticed that Kurt had finish his little diatribe and did not speak afterwards. The brief pause made Kurt realize what he had said and what he had accused Noah of. Noah had been so supportive of Kurt this whole time, and this is what he got for his efforts? Kurt's knees started to give in as he realized that he had accused his maybe-boyfriend of not caring about him when Noah had spent his whole weekend making sure that Kurt was okay. He was getting upset with the only person who was really there for him. Kurt's anger gave way to worry and fear. He stepped closer to Noah. The only person that was shielding him from the real world was getting farther from him because of his moment of stupidity. If there was anyone in this whole situation that didn't deserve his ire, Noah was that person. When he had inched himself within a foot of Noah he took a chance and launched himself at the Noah. "I didn't mean that. I'm so sorry. Don't get mad at me. I didn't mean it."

Kurt felt some of his worry start to loosen as he felt Noah's arms wrap himself around him. Yet, the wider receiver's grasp was not as soft and welcoming as it normally was. Kurt could felt the tension in Noah and he knew it had a lot to do with what he had just said to the other boy. Kurt tired to figure what to say to make the other boy forgive him for what he had said. So far, this relationship was based on what Noah was willing to give Kurt. Noah gave him protection, friends, and even a safe haven and what did he get out of it? After what Kurt had just done, Kurt wouldn't be surprised if Noah dumped him as a friend and a love interest.

Noah finally spoke up. "I know you are not mad at me, princess but I am not going to let you talk like that to me either."

Kurt nodded but couldn't make himself look at Noah in the eyes. His eyes were firmly over Noah shoulder. "I know I was completely out of line when I said... Well, most of the things that came out of my mouth since we've been in the diner hasn't been rational or considerate. You've been the only thing that's kept me sane for the last few weeks and you didn't deserve anything that I just said. It's just that I just felt mad all of a sudden and you seemed to be the first person I could take it out on. I'm sorry."

The arms around Kurt tightened a little and Kurt could feel some of the tension come out of Noah's shoulders. "You've had a rough few days, so I'm going to let it slide, but you should know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

Kurt buried himself closer to Noah. "I know and you been a prince. A real knight in shining armor, but I just got so freaked out when I heard that everyone in Lima knows what is happening. I mean, I already get all sorts of dirty looks and now there will be no question in any one's mind that I'm Lima's queer kid."

Noah snorted. "Well, actually, won't you have to split that award with Karofsky?"

Kurt didn't say anything. He didn't want to joke about what was going on right now. "I really didn't mean what I said."

Noah shook his head. "I know that, but you also know that you can't say stuff like that without getting some kind of reaction. If it was anyone else other than you pushing me for a fight, they would have been laying on the floor right now, princess."

Kurt could still hear some of the anger in Noah's voice. "I know. Right now, I won't even fault you for trying to beat the crap out of me either."

Noah let go of Kurt and moved away. "I would never hit you because I'm mad at you." Noah's voice was low and dark. He only looked at Kurt for a second before turning away and moving towards the stoves to check what was going on with the food.

Kurt's eyes widened as he realized that he had just stepped onto another mine. He knew with everything that Noah had said about his dad, physical abuse seemed to be the norm with the elder Puckermen. With how much Noah hated his dad, it would be stupid to imply that he was anything like him especially with how he treated people that he cared about.

Kurt moved behind Noah and put a hand on Noah's shoulder blades. "I know you would never hurt me. That's probably why I know I can act like such an ass. You would never ever try to hurt me because you were mad at me. You're too good of a guy for that. If I was ever hurt because of you, I know you won't mean it and you probably would feel worse than me about what happened. You're a good man, Noah Nathan Puckermen, and don't you ever think otherwise."

Noah looked over his shoulder at Kurt and then turned back to the stove to take off the food that seemed ready to serve. "I don't know what to say about your little rant earlier. There really isn't much of that that I can control."

Kurt took Noah speaking to him as a sign that he might be forgiven for his faux pas and moved so his body was wrapped around Noah. With his face mostly buried in Noah's back, he tried to answer the wider-receiver but most of his words came out muffled

Noah sighed and turned away from the stove. Kurt kept his arms around Noah's waist as the larger boy turned to face him.

"Okay, would you like to repeat that?"

Kurt nodded. "I guess, I just wanted to be away from here and back at your place where I could pretend it was just us getting to know each other and getting closer rather than all of the horribleness around me being pushed back into my face."

Noah shook his head. "I can understand that but no matter how much I would want you to be my personal boytoy and keep you locked in my room forever, you can't hide from what's going on around you."

Kurt nodded. "I know but it was so much easier when it was just you and me and your family. Now, it's me versus the world."

"Hey, now. I'm still here, princess and I'm not planning on going anywhere." Noah said firmly. "I understand that you are overwhelmed but could you not take it out on the people around you? I might be a little more understanding but that doesn't mean that everyone will."

Kurt shook his head. "You're not understanding, you're amazing." Kurt turned his head a little so he was looking Noah right in his beautiful brown eyes. He was enchanted by what he saw. The brown seemed warm and earthy, but rich like chocolate. Kurt moved slightly closer until he was millimeters away from Noah's lips. Kurt felt Noah shift slightly as their bodies became somehow closer than before. This was it. Kurt was finally going to have the first kiss he always wanted.

Well, that was what almost happened, except that his magic moment was interrupted by his dad calling out his name. "Hey, Kurt? Is everything okay?"

Kurt dropped his head and sighed as the moment was broken. Of course, his dad would pick this moment to become interested in his life again. Kurt heard Noah chuckle a little as he moved away. "I'm fine, dad. Noah and I were just talking some things out."

Noah laughed. "Is that what you were trying to do?" Noah said just loud enough to reach Kurt's ears.

Kurt glared at Noah as he turned towards the door. "We'll be out in a minute, dad."

Burt came to the door and poked his head in. "Are you sure Kurt? Because we can leave right now if you want to."

Kurt shook his head. "No, dad. It not Noah's fault that I got so mad. Its just been a crazy few days and I was taking it out on him. I needed to apologize since he's done nothing but be sweet."

Noah snorted causing Burt to shot him a measured look. After a few seconds of the two of them staring at each other, Kurt stepped in front of Noah and spoke to his dad. "Noah and I'll be out in a second, okay?"

Burt looked away from Noah and back to his son. "Okay but you have five minutes."

Kurt nodded and waited for his dad to leave the room before turning around. "You know if you and my dad can't get along, it'll be really hard being together."

Noah folded his arms over his chest. "Your dad is just a little over protective considering everything that's happening. He usually is a lot friendlier than that."

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, it does seem that the two of you are a little overprotective of me. Maybe you two can bond over weird ways of making sure I have no way of leaving the house without a tracking device."

Noah smiled. "Tracking device? I was thinking of getting you a GPS chip like they have so you don't lose your pets, but I don't know how you already figured it out. I was going to give it to you on our first date as a surprise. Now, you've ruined it."

Kurt moved over to Noah to deliver a well-deserved slap when he was wrapped in the larger man's arms. Kurt laughed softly. "Gucci, is my life messed up? I find an awesome guy who likes me and got rid of all my bullies, and then a psycho comes in so I can't scream out how happy I am to everyone I meet."

Noah looked into Kurt's eyes. "So you want people to know?"

Kurt frowned. "In a perfect world, this would be our coming out as a couple party instead of a 'thank goodness that Kurt isn't in a millions pieces' party. But this isn't a perfect world and I don't want anything to happen to you because of me. I don't think I could live with myself if anything happened to you."

Noah shook his head. "Nothing that pyscho does is your fault."

Kurt moved closer to Noah. "It's not just him. You don't know what it is like being looked at all odd because of who you like. You're the big man on campus and most of the girls are usually panting after you. You've never been hated just because you don't think the same way as someone else."

Noah shook his head. "You have to be joking. Kurt, the main reason I was at the diner most nights lately is because that was the one place I wasn't judged for what happened with Quinn. Oh, I heard an earful but mostly about how I had gone about telling Finn and how I should have been more of a man about the whole situation before the news finally got out but they still made me feel welcome here. I lost a lot of friends and a great business because of what people think. So as far as not telling anyone because of the weird looks I'll get, fuck 'em. I lost a lot of people who I thought were friends before and now I know who would actually have my back. I know who are my friends and they wouldn't care if I was sleeping with you or banging a MILF. They're good people." Noah framed Kurt's face with his hands making the smaller boy look at him. "Right now, there is only three people whose opinion really matters to me. One is my mom, the other is my sister and the last is you. I know some of the guys might freak but I know Santana, Brit, Aretha, and even Rachel will behind us. They might be a bunch of girls but I would never want to be on their bad side. Anyway, if we're really in a pinch, I'm sure that Karofsky would lend a hand since he's gay too."

Kurt nodded. "Maybe but can we hold off telling everyone? I don't think I could handle that on top of everything else."

Noah nodded. "Fine, but it seems like you want to be out more than staying in the closet."

Kurt nodded. "I was in the closet for a long time about being gay, but it seemed like everyone already knew that I liked girls more than boys. The stress of keeping my homosexuality a secret was tremendous. I don't want to keep us a secret and I wouldn't if I wasn't so worried."

Noah sighed and let Kurt go. "I understand princess, but I'm going to keep wanting to tell people so you better get used to it."

Kurt smiled. "Who would have thought that you would be the nag in the relationship?"

Noah smirked. "Says the man who wants a date before his 'first' kiss."

Kurt mock glared. "I was totally willing to let you kiss me twice today."

Noah's smirk became wider. "I did notice you couldn't stop yourself from throwing yourself at me."

Kurt snorted but didn't reply at Noah's remark. He didn't really care because it was kind of true. He couldn't really kept his eyes off of Noah today. Heck, Kurt couldn't remember a twenty minute period today where he wasn't within touching distance, except maybe the shower and that was only because Kurt liked long showers.

Noah spoke up after he realized that Kurt wasn't going to say anything. "Are you really that upset about the pictures?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, it was just one more embarrassment in a line of embarrassments today. I actually just wanted your phone so I could call Dave and Josh to see where they were."

Noah laughed. "Well, according to Berry, Josh and Rachel are going at it in the parking lot."

Kurt scrunched his face as if he had tasted some very decidedly sour. "Ewwww. That isn't information that I needed."

Noah took his phone out and Kurt noticed that he was calling Josh. Noah switched the phone to speaker and the two of them listened to the ring. After the third ring, Josh picked up but sounded little out of breath. "Hey Puck, what's up?"

Noah had an evil grin on his face. "Nothing much. Hummel and me were wondering where you were and if you were still attached lip-to-lip to Rachel? Because that's what's going around the diner, that you're having a hard time getting out of your car because the two of you are attached. If that's true, I'm sure I can get a rescue together. Most of the team would be willing to help you out if you need it."

Kurt could hear Josh growl lightly at what Noah said. "We'll be up in a minute."

Noah nodded. "You have to make sure everything is tucked back where it's supposed to be. Wouldn't want anything hanging out especially on you. Could blind the whole diner."

Josh hung up with a quick, "Fuck you, Puck," which caused Noah to laugh and Kurt to smile.

"Do you want me to call Karofsky too?" Noah asked.

Kurt shook his head. "No, I was hoping that I could talk to him by myself. I just want him to become part of the group since he is trying so hard. I mean, I'm not sure I can really call him a friend but I think everything that I thought about him is wrong. Well, not everything. He's still very crude and very intimating, but I think that maybe we can use that for good instead of evil like he has been. I mean, after how he acted all Alpha male when Finn was harassing me shows that he can be nice too. True, he wasn't nice to Finn but it is a baby step in the right direction."

Noah shrugged. "He's not bad. He seemed okay when his boyfriend is with him."

Kurt nodded. "Blaine was nothing like I thought he was going to be."

Noah nodded and handed Kurt his phone. "I'm going to go back into the front so your dad doesn't think that something is happening back here."

Kurt grabbed the phone with one hand but stopped Noah from leaving the room with the other. "Can we tell my dad soon?"

Noah smiled. "That's up to you but it would be nice if I didn't have to sneak around your dad."

Kurt grinned. "Yeah, while him walking in on us making out might be a big clue, it might cause him to change the gun from a scare tactic to a real weapon against boys. I've kind of gotten attached to you, so I would like you to stay in one piece."

Noah leaned in and kissed Kurt in his forehead. "I've gotten a little attached to you, too."

As Noah left the kitchen, Kurt called Dave. The phone rang at least five times before Dave finally picked up. "Karofsky," roughly came over the phone. Kurt sighed. Did no one know phone etiquette anymore? Where was the 'hello?' Or the 'how are you? This is blah.'

Kurt spoke softly. "Hey, Dave. This is Kurt. How are you?"

Dave's voice became kinder as it came through the line again. "Hey, Kurt. How is everything? Do you need something?"

Kurt smiled softly at the eagerness in Dave's voice. If someone would have told him that he was going to be on first name basis with his arch-nemesis last week, he would have told them that they were crazy. But here he was talking to Dave as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "No, everything is fine. I was just wondering where you were. I mean most of the football players are here so I thought that you should be here too."

Kurt heard Dave sigh over the phone. "Kurt, I don't think that it would be good if I showed up. I mean, I heard about the thing from Azimio but I don't think that most of the crew would want me there."

Kurt shook his head even though he knew that Dave could not see him. "The guys should know that you are okay and if not, I think it would be the perfect time to tell them."

"Yeah, but Hudson''s there and I don't want to cause a scene." Dave said.

Kurt frowned. He could understand the want to stay in the closet, but he did want Dave there if only to make sure the other boy was allowed to hang out with him at school. Not that anyone would say no to Dave but still. "I can't force you to come but I want you to know that if you do want to come I'll make sure the boys behave. I'm sure that Noah would help me out as well."

Kurt could hear the suppressed laugh from the other side of the line. "I'm sure that Puck would help you with anything that you want."

Kurt rolled his eyes. How could he have been so blind to Dave's silly little jokes? It now made sense why Noah was so mad at Dave that other day when he was teasing him. Kurt hoped that he wasn't always this slow about things. "I'm sure that's true but the question is do you want to come? I understand either way, but I really want the guys to start treating you better. Noah didn't do a good job of getting the word out last week."

Kurt heard Dave snort. "I think Noah wanted someone to blame after everything happened and I was an easy person to be mad at. I understand since transferring anger was what I did for years with you. I still feel really bad about that."

Kurt frowned. "That doesn't mean that I think that you would stay away from Noah and me. You been really helpful the last few days and I want the guys to know that you are not a threat to me."

A deep sigh came over the line. "You are worse than Blaine." Kurt heard some rustling over the line. A few seconds later, Dave spoke again. "I'll be there soon but if anyone gives me grief..."

Kurt cut him off before he could finish. "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure everything goes smooth."

There was a pause over the line. "Are you sure you are okay?"

Kurt wanted to give Dave the normal spiel, but he felt as if the larger boy was one of the few people who would understand how hard it was for him to keep up the mask. Even after all Dave had to go through at home, no one seemed to be able to see what was happening. Honestly, if the linebacker hadn't proved that his brother was in the hospital and he had not met Blaine, Kurt probably would not have believed Dave about how he was really sorry about what he had done for the last few years.

"I'm okay some times but others..."

Dave seemed to understand. "You want to disappear so everyone can stop reminding you about how you are different and alone." There was a heavy pause. "You do know that you're not alone right? Puck, me and Blaine are here for you."

Kurt laughed wetly since he was trying not to think about how he had a room filled with people who were trying to make him feel less alone was right behind him but here he was trying to get one more person into that room. Prada, he was needy. "Thanks Dave. I'll see you in a few."

There was a grunt and the line went dead. Kurt looked at the phone to see that Dave had hung up and shook his head at the lack of goodbye. He knew it wasn't really Dave's MO to have manner but there was a line.

Kurt walked back into the main part of the diner to see Noah talking to the cooking crew. Before he wandered back to the wide receiver's side, he noticed that Rachel and Josh had come in. Rachel was sitting with the rest of the Glee table but her eyes were definitely stuck on Josh and the football player was not doing any better at taking his eyes off of Rachel. Kurt was happy to see that they seemed so blissful. He could tell by the predatory look on Mercedes' face, that there was only had a few seconds before she would start asking Rachel how things went the other night with Josh. Well, at least they knew it went well but details were always fun. Kurt walked over to the glee table and smiled as the whole group tried to squeeze even closer so he could sit down. Kurt sat down next to Mercedes who put her hand on his arm as soon as he was situated. It wasn't as wonderful as Noah's hand on his, but it did help him feel less alone.

Mercedes leaned forward and smiled at Rachel. "So Berry, what happened on Friday? Kurt was waiting to hear about what happened on Friday all night."

Rachel glared at Mercedes but turned to Kurt with a smile. "Thank you for helping me get over my anxiety on Friday. The date was really nice. He brought me to Barb's and there was a few moments of awkwardness but then he asked me about my family. When I started to talk about my two gay dads, he didn't make a big deal out of it. He actually tried to play it off as normal until I told him he didn't have to pretend. He just shrugged and started to talk about his family instead. His family seems very well educated and motivated. He actually is thinking about going to school on the East Coast. His dad is a NYU graduated and Josh is thinking of following in his footsteps."

Kurt nodded his head. He knew that Josh was not really a slouch when it came to school. He might not have as high of a grade point average as Kurt did but he wasn't that far behind. Considering that he was also part of the school counsel and the volunteer club, it was clear that he was thinking about his future since he was already padding his college application.

Rachel leaned in a little closer to Kurt. "He also ordered dessert with two spoons. It was kind of cute since he order two desserts, but insisted that we shared both of them. He said that since I couldn't decide and I didn't have room for two deserts it was the only workable option."

Quinn spoke up. "Josh does seem like a catch. He is a really sweet guy and he is more patient than most of the guys at the school. He's also more mature."

Kurt couldn't figure out if Quinn was trying to be friendly or make sure that Rachel no longer was attached to Finn. Though one look at Rachel's face when she tried to steal glances of Josh, it was clear that Finn was no longer in the picture.

Mercedes hummed her agreement. "Also, doesn't hurt that he is tasty little treat? Now tell us how much of that you've bitten off."

Rachael actually seemed shy about what was going on between her and her new beau. She shook her head and turned her gaze towards Josh, who seemed to be smiling a silly grin at her. She turned towards Mercedes trying to keep the smile Kurt could see peeking out off of her face and fighting to regain her usual composure. "A true lady doesn't kiss and tell."

Mercedes raised an eyebrow. "A true lady doesn't sit in a car for at least half an hour doing who-knows-what when she should be inside with her friends."

Kurt tried not to laugh but he knew there was a small smirk on his lips. This was what he needed. Being around his friends was calming him down much faster than being at Noah's house. Their loudness and constant need for attention and answers kept him from sinking back into the funk that he had been in at Noah's. Also, now that there were romantic feelings on both sides, Kurt didn't know what was appropriate. It was very lucky for him that Noah was so laid back about what was happening. Kurt was sure that the crazy mood swings that he was having would have scared lots of people away but Noah was still there for him. Kurt looked over to where Noah was joking around with the jocks and smiled at the other boy. Noah noticed Kurt's glance and smiled back at him. Kurt excuse himself from the glee table when the diner door opened and Dave came in.


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: I'm so so sorry. I know I haven't been updating as much as anyone one including myself would hope. I am in school, working and have other side projects as well as friends who swear I have fallen off the face of the Earth to deal with. Since it is getting colder where I am, I should have more time but I can't make any promises other then I will try.

I am also sorry that I haven't been keeping up with responses to the reviews. I am planning on getting back to that as well. I am sorry that it has taken me so long to respond to them since I love them so much and am so excited whenever I see a new one post. I am so so sorry.

This is also not betaed so all the mistakes are mine. I hope I caught most of them but I am sure I missed quite a few.

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Kurt detoured from his path towards Noah and started moving towards the door. Dave fidgeted as he stood in the doorway to the diner. He looked like he wanted to run out of the room and only his pride was holding him in the doorway. Kurt heard an eery silence behind him as he reached Dave. It was as if the whole room was waiting for a bomb to go off. All they needed was the cheesy danger music and the whole thing could have been off of 24. Kurt sighed internally as he realized that this was going to be more problematic than he thought it. Kurt decided that actions were much clear than words at this point so he got on his toes when he reached Dave and wrapped him in a hug.

Dave's arms slowly came around him. Kurt knew that Dave wasn't the most affectionate of guy so he didn't take his hesitation to heart. Kurt could only think of a hand full of times where he saw Dave pat Azimio on the back. Then again, Dave was really tactile with Blaine but that was his boyfriend. Hopefully, Dave understood what Kurt was trying to do and wouldn't get upset about the violation of his space bubble.

When Dave spoke, Kurt's worries over Dave's anger ended. "Hey, um... This is a little awkward. Did you forget to tell people I was invited?" Dave moved his head so he was speaking directly into Kurt's ear with a hushed tone. Dave's next words were even softer. "I don't think Blaine'll stay with me if I'm black and blue. After all, he's with me for my looks."

Kurt giggled. Blaine was clearly the pretty-boy of the duo. "I'm sure that's why." Kurt let go of Dave to face the room.

There were some stunned faces staring back at him. The only people who didn't seem fazed by Kurt's little performance were his dad, Carole, Noah's family, Azimio and Noah. Finn looked a befuddled. He also seemed annoyed, confused, put out and a little disgusted. Good to know that Finn was embracing Dave being gay so well. Well, hopefully Finn kept what he learned earlier that day to himself. He knew that it would get around the school sooner of later but he didn't want Dave to regret trying to be friends with him because of Finn's big mouth.

Kurt smiled at Noah as the other boy walked up to Dave and him. Noah's smile wider than normal as he squeezed between Kurt and Dave. He threw an arm over Dave's shoulder as he spoke. "Thanks for coming. I was wondering why you took so long to get here."

Kurt could see that neither of the boys were really comfort pretending to be friends. It was apparent to Kurt that only reason why the two of them were even talking to one another was because of Kurt. Kurt smiled at the two of them. Maybe Dave wouldn't be as bad of an addition of his group of friends as Kurt first thought.

Dave shrugged causing Noah's arm to fall off of him. "Some of us have a life, Puck. You should find one."

Noah snorted. "Life? What life? You were probable on the phone with a 1-800 number getting..."

Noah was cut off by the sound of both Kurt and Noah's mom interrupting him. Noah looked at the table where his mom and little sister were sitting and ducked his head a little. "Sorry."

Kurt heard a few of the guys giggle at the jock table but they were soon quieted by the twin looks of Noah and his mom. Kurt realized why Noah never wanted to cross his mom. The woman might be sweet but it looked like she had a steel core to her. Considering everything that she had gone through, it wasn't really surprising that she would be such a strong person. Heck, just raising Noah by herself without Noah turning into a complete disaster was proof that Ms. Bohm was an amazing mom.

Kurt glanced back at Dave to see the linebacker trying to be as stoic as possible. Kurt knew that he wasn't the only person that Dave had harassed when he was a bully. The room was filled with people he has messed with at one time or another. Most of them would rather see him beaten to the ground rather than standing next to their friend so being there next to him must have been hard for Dave. It was a very brave move for the linebacker. Kurt grabbed Dave's arm and pulled Dave to the glee table. Kurt could see the dark looks that Dave was receiving the Glee crowd but he knew that if Dave could get the okay from his glee friends, the jocks were sure to follow. After all, the members of this table had many more grievances against Dave than the jocks did. True the jocks probable could boast more injuries but at least, that was during football. Anyone who had ever been picked on by Dave could tell you that it was a full time job looking out for the surprisingly stealthy jock.

Kurt came up to the table and dropped his hand from Dave's arm. "Guys, this is Dave..."

Dave interjected before Kurt could say anything else, "Karofsky is fine."

Kurt rolled his eyes. He understood what Dave meant by that statement but wasn't willing to argue it at that moment. If he wasn't willing to be friends with the rest of Kurt's friends, that was fine but Kurt did want them to be on speaking terms. "Fine, this is Karofsky. Dave," Kurt made it a point to say the jock's first name, "this is Mercedes, Rachel, Brit, Santana, Artie, Mike, and Matt."

The group just stared at Dave as the jock just stared back. To Kurt, it felt like one of those shoot out in the old western movies. Each side was just waiting for the other to draw. Santana spoke up first since she was the brave one in the group. Then again, once you've been dragged off of someone after trying to rip them a new one, you kind of loose the fear you once felt. "We have met and we don't care to meet again."

Dave stiffened and turned around to look at Kurt. "Look, I knew this was a bad idea. I'll see you later."

Kurt grabbed Dave's arm as he turned away. "No, wait." Kurt turned back to the group. "Look guys, I'm not asking you to be BFF with Dave. I just don't want you guys to fight."

Mercedes spoke up. "His dad was the one who destroyed your car."

Kurt felt Dave's muscles twitch under his hand. "Yeah, and my dad is straight as the day is long. Just because the dad is a certain way, that doesn't mean the son is."

Mercedes shook her head. "He threw you into the dumpster."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I dare you to find one jock in this room that didn't help with that."

Mike and Matt eyes' dropped from their aggressive glares at Dave to the table. Kurt knew that it wasn't something that they wanted to be reminded of but the two of them weren't as innocent in the pranks against Kurt before they joined Glee. True, they were usually just watch outs but they hadn't spoken up to stop the humiliating act either. Kurt didn't hold it against them anymore but right now he was more worried about making sure that Dave wasn't going to be the new punching bag for the whole school than making sure that Mike and Matt understood that they were fine in his books.

Mercedes, however, did not change her tune. "He was the ring leader."

Kurt snorted. "No, he wasn't. Not until..." Kurt paused. He realized that Finn was seated at the table next to the glee table with their parents. While it might be amusing to see his dad loose his image of Finn being the most perfect person in the world, it wouldn't really help his argument. Heck, it might let his dad in on a lot of the school harassment stories that were better left alone. "...Not until there was a changing of the guards. Dave wasn't that big of a pain in by posterior until then."

Mercedes' eyes narrowed and her lips pursed but she stayed quiet. Kurt knew that he had beaten her for the moment but as soon as she found a loop hole in this way of thinking, he would be having this conversation again.

Kurt glanced around the table again. Rachel was frowning deeply and Santana didn't look so happy. He knew it would be easier if he could tell them that Dave was gay but Dave made his opinion about being outed pretty clear on the phone earlier. Okay maybe it was more of his opinion about being in the spotlight but a guy like Dave Karofsky coming out of the closet would be a huge deal. Kurt sighed. "Can't you just trust me that Dave wouldn't hurt me?"

Rachel answered for the group. "I'm sorry but for once I think Mercedes is right. We don't know why David is trying to be so nice to you and it makes his behavior more than a little suspect." Rachel paused for a few seconds. "Maybe if you told us why you believe him, we could understand why you are giving him a second chance and decide if David really should get a second chance or not."

Kurt was about to tell Rachel that Dave didn't need to be put under a microscope and that Kurt saying that he was okay should be enough when Dave interrupted. "Kurt found out that I like doing it with guys so he's trying to lure me away from my boyfriend." Dave flung an arm over Kurt's shoulder as Kurt rolled his eyes. If it was any other time than at this particular moment, Kurt would have found that little statement hilarious for so many reasons. Most of them stemming from the fact that Kurt wouldn't touch Dave with a ten foot pole even if he was the last gay man on the planet. It would better to die a virgin than to be in a relationship with Dave.

The glee table was silent before Brit put their words they were trying to get out in her own special way. "You like boys now?

Dave snorted. "I've always liked boys but now a days it's more of like boy because Blaine might look sweet but he would have my balls in a mason jar if I even looked at another guy." Dave smiled widely. "My boy's a little possessive."

Artie then said, much louder than necessary, "You're gay?"

A few of the guys at the jock table turned. Berry started to giggle. "Dude, you're his friend and you don't know that Kurt's gay? That's kind of weak."

Mercedes answered for Artie. "Not Kurt, Karofsky."

The jock tables quieted down. "What the fuck?" Berry said as he summed up what the whole group was feeling. Kurt shook his head.

"Look guys, Dave told me he was gay a few days after my baby got destroyed. I didn't really believe him until I met his boyfriend this weekend. Blaine is actually a real gentlemen."

Noah came and stood next to Dave. "And I'm still trying to figure out how he ended up having a boyfriend like Karofsky. I mean how bad must his karma be for that?"

Kurt nodded slightly at the comment and was relieved to hear Azimio finally chime in. "I got to say that Puck's right. You lucked out with your boy."

Kurt took a deep breath as he tried to figure out how to get out of this situation without causing a scene. Kurt was starting to feel guilty about asking Dave to come tonight. Not only had he pushed the boy to come to a place where he was mostly hated but he made Dave out himself. "Look, I'm not saying that Dave and I have been besties or ever going to be but we have an understanding about what happened and why he did what he did. Also he's only here because I asked him to be here. So please can we just let this go because this is about how you all are supportive during everything that has been happening. Dave is here for the same reason that everyone else is. Please before this because a me-going-crazy-from-the-stress-of-you-all-murdering-Dave-and-hiding-the-body party?"

Kurt could see that this wasn't going to a popular stand to take but he felt guilty about how his friends were picking on Dave. Yes, a part of Kurt wanted to be petty about how Dave had treated him in the past but that would make him as bad as Dave had been. And that was the point. Dave HAD BEEN horrible before but he was trying to change. If everyone treated him horribly for being who he really had been, then why would want stay the new and improved Dave.

Dave shook his head and leaned over to talk just to Kurt. "Look, I'll just get out of here. I wanted to check how you were and if there was anything I could do. My mom could use me at home right now to get some stuff for my brother. He wants more of his crap with him at the hospital."

Kurt felt horrible. Not only had he taken Dave away from his family, now he was sending him out of the diner with because his friends were being rude. "No, don't go."

Dave smiled reassuringly. "Look, we'll talk tomorrow if you are at school but right now I don't want to mess this up for you."

Kurt felt helpless as he tried to choose between his friends and Dave. He knew what Dave was going through coming out of the closet but unlike with Kurt, it seemed like everyone did hate him. After everything that Dave had said about being harassed at home, this would make the jock feel the same way at school. Kurt knew how hard it had been for him to come out and he was pretty sure most people had at least guessed it about him before. Dave was coming out of left field.

Before Dave could take more than two steps, Noah had his arm over the larger jock's shoulders. "Hey Karofsky, I was wondering about that play you were telling me about the other day at practice. Why don't you come over here and tell me about it? I'm sure Azimio wants to hear about it."

Dave gave Noah an odd look but quickly realized what Noah was doing. "Sure, I guess I could stay for a little bit."

Noah and Dave move to the far table and sat down. When Kurt made a move to follow him, Noah shook his head slightly. "Hey Jason, you should here this. It'll help next year unless you don't want to play next fall."

Jason snorted as he got up. "As if you guys could win without me." Jason turned to Berry and pulled the other man up. "Come on. If I have to hear, this so do you."

Berry didn't seem to happy about what was happening but he nodded and followed. He did grab Josh, who was busy staring at Rachel. There was a little bit of a fight until Jason also glared at Josh. That finally got the love struck teen up from his seat.

Kurt realized that Noah was trying to get the major voices in the jocks to be okay with Dave before he pushed it onto the others in the group. It was still a small bunch but at least Dave had Noah and Azimio with him for back up. Kurt was confused on why Noah didn't ask Finn to come over too but one glance at the Finn answered that query. Yet, now Kurt was worried about why his dad looked so upset. Before Kurt could walk to his dad, Mercedes grabbed his hand and pulled him into the seat next to hers.

"Now baby boy, get down to the details about what happened with the dumb jock." Mercedes said more like an order than a request.

Kurt glanced back at Dave as he started his story. "Well, the Monday after my baby was destroyed..." Kurt went through the bare bones of what had happened with Dave. He made sure to leave out anything about Dave's family other than his dad being in jail for trashing the Navigator. It wasn't that he didn't trust his friends but Dave had told him that in private. After what the large jock had just gone through to hang out with him, Kurt, at least, owned him that much privacy. The story was much longer than expected since the glee group was able to eat dessert before Kurt finished telling them about Dave. Truth be told, they did get side tracked numerous times.

After the group finished their desserts, Kurt got up and walked to the other tables. He wanted to thank everyone for coming. Most of the guys seemed pretty laid back about why they were there but Kurt could see that they were really uncomfortable about what had happened. No one even hinted at how Kurt's house had been ransacked.

By the time Kurt had gotten to the table with Noah and the other boys, the diner had started to clear out. It was Sunday night so Kurt could understand them wanted to get some extra sleep in before school started. He wondered if he was going to school the next day. Either way would suck since they would both make him deal with the nightmare that he was living.

Kurt looked enviously at the spot next to Noah that Dave had. He wanted to be close enough to curl in next to Noah. Noah must have realized what Kurt was thinking since he pushed Dave over to make room for Kurt. Kurt sat next to Noah hoping that he wasn't acting too clingy. Noah mustn't have thought so since he threw an arm over Kurt and pulled the smaller boy close to him.

"So Kurt, how excited are you that football season is almost over for us?" Noah said as he finished off his apple pie.

Kurt shrugged. He had forgotten that while Lima did think that football was the best sport in the world, there was an off season. Though, their off season was a lot shorter than most of the other schools in the area. Then again, they probably needed the most work. He was worried that most of the boys would also abandon him since he wasn't part of any of the other sports teams.

Jason squashed any of those believes when he spoke. "You better be at our b-ball games, lit' kick. We need our mascot."

Kurt smiled at the table. He was happy to be included even though he knew he was useless other than cheering. "I'll be there with bells on."

Noah laughed. "Now what kind of bells are we talking about here? Christmas or cow? Because I think the boys would love to see you with a cow bell on."

Kurt elbowed Noah as he glared at the laughing teen. Over Noah's shoulder, Kurt saw Dave sitting quietly between Noah and Azimio. Kurt raised an eyebrow in question only to get Azimio's shrug as an answer. Before he could say anything, Dave pushed Noah a little bit.

"Move over. I need to get back home before my mom kills me."

Noah and Kurt got up to let Dave out but the rest of the boys soon followed. It was about 11 o'clock so Kurt knew they should be leaving but he felt bad that he didn't have a chance to talk to them. He grabbed Dave's arm and moved him behind Noah as he said good-bye to Berry, Josh, Jason, and Azimio.

He hugged Berry first. The outgoing teen paused for a second before returning the hug. "You take care of yourself, little kick or call my dad. He was worried sick this morning about what had happened to you. So was I."

Kurt smiled. "I will and thanks for the search party."

Berry smiled. "No one gets to hurt our kicker."

Berry moved towards the door as Jason threw an arm around Kurt. "Little man, you've got it rough but you're strong. You'll be good."

Kurt nodded and awkwardly tried to pat Jason's back. Jason soon let go of him and Josh took his place.

"Hey, Kurt. Sorry about not coming in when I got here." Josh said shyly.

Kurt shook his head. "I'm just happy you and Rachel are getting along. Just so you know, she was really happy about your date. Did you ask her out for another?"

Josh smiled. "Yeah, we're going to the movies on Wednesday."

Kurt nodded. "Good and thanks for coming... No matter how late you were."

Josh shook his head. "Not you, too. You're the nice one. I swear Puck's rubbing off on you."

Kurt heard Dave snort behind him and gave Dave an evil glare. As he turned back to face Josh, Kirk saw Noah was trying to suppress a smirk. Kurt rolled his eyes at the pair of them and turned to Josh. "You guys live permanently in the gutter, don't you?"

Noah shrugged. "We are guys, princess."

Kurt shook his head and hugged Josh. "Now go have sappy phone conversations with Rachel."

Josh laughed. "Thanks again for helping me out with her."

Kurt pulled back. "No problem."

Kurt felt a heavy hand on his shoulder as Josh left. "Kid, I told you to watch out for yourself. You're lucky that you were at Puck's. From now on, you better have one of us with you at all times."

Kurt looked at Azimio. The linebacker looked worried about him. It was odd how quickly his relationships with Dave and Azimio changed in the last few weeks. Kurt still felt it was a bit surreal but he did like it a lot more than being put in the dumpster. "I can look out for myself despite what everyone thinks."

Azimio nodded. "Yeah, but you don't have. You've got us to help so let us."

Kurt nodded. He knew that the larger man was right but it was just so hard to realize that he did have this amazing network of people to help him. Heck last year, he would have had to deal with this whole things by himself but now, he had all these wonderful people. It was quite humbling.

Azimio tightened his hand and quickly let go of Kurt as he too exited. Kurt then turned to Dave. He was happy that Dave had come but it was at the bigger price than the larger boy should have needed to pay. "Thanks for coming."

Dave just nodded. Kurt could see that he was tired and Kurt couldn't blame him. His last few weeks had been about as bad a Kurt. Actually worse considering that he was continuously questioned as a suspect and his brother was in the hospital. Dave was a much stronger person than most people gave him credit for.

Kurt gave Dave a quick hug before letting the boy go. "I want you to know you can call me whenever you want. Give me your phone."

Dave handed Kurt his cell and Kurt quickly programmed his number in. He handed the phone back to Dave. "I'm sorry about how this turned out."

Dave shrugged. "I had to come out sometime."

Kurt shook his head. "Yeah but I pushed it by making you come here. I'm sorry."

"Kid, most of the school doesn't like me because I was the school bully. I don't expect them to all of a sudden welcome me with open arms now that I'm gay. If anything, that'll give more reason to hate me." Dave told Kurt in a surprisingly calm voice as if he had reasoned it out before.

Kurt knew that he really couldn't argue with what Dave said. It was true that Dave would never be seen as the warm and fuzzy type but he hoped that now that Dave was trying to turn a new leaf, some of the other kids would help him adjust. This was probably going to be one of those show by example projects but Kurt was okay with that after how Dave acted over the weekend. "How about you hang out with me and my friends for lunch?"

Dave snorted. "Kid, don't try to solve this. It's not your problem."

Kurt folded his arms over his chest. "Yeah, but I understand how it feels to come out. I don't want you to go through it be yourself."

Dave laughed. "Fine, I'll sit by you if you want but keep Finn away from me. He's kind of been given me weird looks all night."

Kurt glanced at the table with his dad, Carole and Finn. He noticed that Carole was the only one in the trio that was not glaring in his direction. He had a feeling that the car ride to wherever they were staying was not going to be a fun one.

Dave turned to Noah. "You're going to have your hands full with this one."

Noah smiled. "Who says I don't already?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and walked away. Instead of walking over to his dad's table, Kurt stopped at Auntie Ella's. "Thanks you two for putting up with me today."

Auntie Ella smiled. "There was no need to thank us for that. I mean Sarah here got to go shopping, have breakfast for linner and got cheesecake for dessert."

Sarah nodded. "Plus I know have someone who I can talk to about clothes and stuff. Mom is okay but Noah is horrible."

Kurt smiled. "Well, anytime you want to take me up on that offer, just have Noah call me."

Sarah nodded as she got up and gave Kurt a hug. "Okay, I will."

On the other side of him, Kurt felt Auntie Ella start to hug him as well. It was amazing how much love he was receiving from Noah's household. When she let go, Auntie Ella grabbed her purse and walked out of the dinner with Sarah following her closely.

Kurt felt a hand grab his waist as he waved goodbye to them. He smiled since he knew the only other person he really cared about was leaving. "How about I walk out with you?"

Noah smiled and nodded.

Kurt moved away from Noah and went the three remaining people in the diner. "Um... I'm just going to go say goodbye to Noah. I'll be right back."

Burt didn't seem to like that answer. "Don't worry about it. We're coming too."

Kurt nodded. His father seemed really upset. It was understandable considering what had happened but he felt like it was his fault somehow. Had he done something to make his dad mad at him? He had been at Noah's all day with permission so it wouldn't make sense that his dad was mad at him for something he did. After all, he barely saw him today. Maybe that was why his dad was upset. It would make sense but again it wasn't Kurt's fault. His dad had taught him good manner and it would have been rude not to day goodbye and thank you to the people who had shown up.

Kurt nodded and dashed to Noah. He pulled the mohawk sporting teen outside so they could have a few minutes together before Kurt had to go. "Thank you for today. You made it much better than it should have been."

Noah sighed. "None of this should have happened."

Kurt nodded in agreement. "But it did and I would have gone completely nuts if it wasn't for you."

Kurt wrapped his arms around Noah and gave him a hug. When Kurt felt Noah's arms surround him, Kurt wished that it would never end. He felt so good after seeing everyone who cared about him in the diner. It was like they gave him the reassurance that he needed that not everyone hated him just because he was gay. That there were people how cared about him no matter who he liked or how divaish he acted.

Kurt whispered from his spot, "So when is this date that you are thinking of going on?"

Kurt felt Noah laugh. "Well, I was thinking about Wednesday. That is if you can hold out that long."

Kurt snorted. "I think I can manage."

Noah laughed again. "I don't know. You did try to jump me at least twice today."

Kurt pushed away from Noah. He was smiling as replied. "You know, I suddenly feel the need to wash my hair on Wednesday."

Noah leered at Kurt. "No need to clean up on my account. I kind of like the idea of you being all dirty."

Kurt felt the blood rush to his cheeks. "Noah, my dad's coming out."

Noah nodded and a sober look fell onto his face. "When are you going to tell him?"

Kurt looked at the ground. "I was going to tell him tonight but he seems to be really annoyed by something and I don't want to aggravate him any further."

Kurt felt Noah grab his chin to make Kurt look at him. "Why would your dad be so pissed off? I thought he was cool with you being gay."

Kurt shrugged as he pushed Noah's hand away. "Right now I'm theoretically gay as far as everything is concern. I mean other than the kisses you stole, I've never really done anything with a guy. I certainly have never said someone is my boyfriend. Any time I bring up the subject he gets a little weird."

Noah sighed. "So you want to hold off on telling him?"

Kurt looked away. He knew that Noah would not be happy with what he said but he didn't want his dad to be more upset than he was. When he introduced Noah as his boyfriend, he wanted his dad to be a little more receptive to what he was saying. Kurt knew tonight was not the night for this talk but he also didn't want to hurt Noah. "Just give me a few days."

Noah nodded. "Alright. I just don't want your dad to think we are sneaking around his back."

Kurt agreed. His dad would be a lot more upset and hurt if he found out about Kurt and Noah from someone else. Since the only people who knew were Dave, Blaine, Auntie Ella, and Sarah, it didn't seem like that much of an issue. "I'll tell him soon."

Noah nodded and grabbed Kurt for another hug as Kurt saw his dad come out with Finn and Carole. "I've got to go, Noah. I'll see you tomorrow."

Noah pulled away. "Are you coming to school?"

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know. I hope so since I don't want to be stuck Gucci knows where thinking about what happened."

Noah nodded but didn't say anything.

Kurt felt an arm being slung over his shoulder and looked to see his dad standing next to him. "We better go, Kurt. It's getting late."

Kurt nodded and looked at Noah as Kurt and his dad started to walk away. Kurt turned to Finn and Carole who were walking with him and his dad. "Thanks for coming."

Carole smiled. "It was nice for all those people to come here and support you."

Kurt nodded. "I do have a lot of friends as of late."

Burt spoke. "Yeah, about that..."

He was cut off by Carole. "Burt, don't."

Kurt was confused. He had never heard Carole and his father fight before. It seemed like it was a big issue since they were glaring at each other.

The elder Hummel spoke first. "Carole, Kurt is my kid."

Carole seemed even more upset because of Burt's statement. "I thought that we were going to be helping with each others kids. At least, that's what we had decided on when we started seeing each other."

Burt wouldn't back down. "Well, I know my son better than you do."

Carole stopped by her car. Kurt looked at Finn who looked more guilty than uncomfortable. "Yes, you do but you are trying to take away people that he cares about."

Burt let go of Kurt. "I'm trying to protect him."

Carole replied. "Well, if it's by taking away people who spent all day looking for him because they are worried, than maybe you are protecting him from the wrong things." Carole turned and opened her car door. "Finn, get in the car."

Finn sheepishly followed his mom and the pair of them left without saying goodbye to either Kurt or his dad.

Kurt looked at his dad and realized that this was not the time to ask what had just happened. The older man was seething. Kurt meekly followed his dad to his car and the two of them made it five minutes before Burt finally spoke. "I don't want you to be hanging out with that Karofsky kid again. Azimio too while we're at it."

Kurt was a little stunned. "But they're my friends."

Burt shouted loud enough that it echoed in the car. "They're NOT your friends. They put you in the god damned dumpster for Pete's sake, Kurt. Friends do not do that each other."

"That was before dad. They are better now..." Kurt started to say as softly as possible. He had never had to deal with his dad acting like this so he didn't know what to do.

Burt cut Kurt off. "Just because now one of them is gay does not make it better."

Kurt was getting annoyed. His dad had wanted him to make more friends and now his friends weren't up to snuff for him. "Dad, that's not why it's okay. Dave..."

Burt interrupted Kurt again. "No, I don't want to hear it. You are not talking to him again. You are not going to call him. You're not going to hang out with him. You got it?"

Kurt glared at his dad. "Dad, most of the guys in that diner have been horrible to me for most of my life. I've had to suffer though the dumpster, swirls, slushies, name calling, looks of disgust, the cold shoulder and having my things stolen and destroyed. If I can forgive them, I think it's my business whether I want to be friends with them."

Burt looked at Kurt sharply. "Who else did that to you?"

Kurt laughed darkly. "Do you remember high school, dad? There's always that one kid that everyone treats like trash. The one that the jocks harass and the cool kids look at like they are dirt. Well guess what dad, I'm that kid. So actually, it would be easier for me to pick out who didn't harass me rather than who did."

There was silence for a while after Kurt spoke. Kurt never told his dad how bad it was for him at school before. He used to do it when he was younger but the older he got, the more he realized that telling his dad usually meant that the bullies would stop for a few days only to come back new and improved.

Kurt watched the streets pass by as neither of the Hummels wanted to be the first to speak. When they pulled up to a descent looking hotel, Kurt realized they had reached their destination. He pulled his bag tighter to him and looked in the back seat to see if there was anything that he needed to bring in with him. The back seat was empty except for the bag with clothes from Auntie Ella. She must have given it to her dad at some point. As for the emptiness of the seat, the police must have stopped his dad from taking anything but the bare minimum out of the house. Kurt watched detached from what was going on as his dad talked to his friend. He could see that his dad's friend was trying to show support and was happy that someone was helping his dad since Kurt was too upset to really talk anything out. His dad signaled Kurt to follow him so Kurt did. They walked up to the second floor and found their room. It was a nice little two bed suite. It wasn't home but it would do for now.

Kurt put his bag on the bed closer to the door and Kurt finally spoke. "Am I going to school tomorrow?"

His dad paused. "Do you want to?"

Kurt nodded but his dad's back was turned to him. "Yes."

Burt nodded his head. "Alright, I'll drop you off before I go check on what's going on with the house."

Kurt tried not to flinch at the reference to the house and narrowly failed. "Okay... I'm going to get ready for bed."

Burt nodded again as he stretched out on one of the beds. "Night."

"Night" Kurt said as he walked into the bathroom. Kurt looked in the mirror and saw the same worn out face he had seen earlier. Actually, it was worse now since the circles under his eyes were more pronounced. He looked at the bathroom door and thought about how this afternoon he had wanted to be with his dad. Now, he wanted to be almost anywhere else.

Kurt splashed water on his face to get at least some of the dirt that accumulated through out the day off and tried to bloat it off with the towels that the hotel gave them. Usually, Kurt would have never touched those towels but this was not normal circumstances.

Kurt walked back to his bed. He saw his dad had turned to face away from him and a part of him felt guilty about getting so mad earlier. The other part of him was still fuming. Kurt moved his bag onto the table and grabbed his phone. He put the phone next to him on his pillow and set his alarm a little earlier than usual. Just as he was about to settle down, his phone vibrated.

He looked to check the text message that was left. It was from Noah and it read, "Nite, princess."

Kurt smiled softly and text Noah back. "Nite, Knight." He kept his phone in his hand as he curled up into the unknown bed. A few minutes of tossing and turning late, Kurt facing the door with his knees tucked in close. One of his arms was under his pillow while the other one, which held his cellphone, was tucked close to his chest as he finally drifted away.


	31. Chapter 31

Hello everyone, I am deeply sorry this has taken so long. I am in school, working, doing side projects and still trying to have a social life. (None of the side projects have to do with writing. I am restricting myself to only working on this fic.) I am trying to get back to everyone about their posts. I love them and honestly it's the fact that people are asking if this story is ever going to get updated that got me to finally start writing again. I am sorry that this chapter is not betaed. I wanted to get it out as soon as possible and since I didn't really use a conventional computer to write it, the chapter is probably worse than normal. I am sorry for that. I hope everyone still likes the story and I hope not everyone hates me for taking so long. I promise that this story will get finished but I can't promise that it will be done as quickly as any of us hope. Please bear with me. AGAIN thank you all so much for your support of this fic. Without readers like you, I probably would have let it die as it was and kept the ending between me and some of my crazy friends who like to listen to be ramble. Thank you again and now on with the chapter.

* * *

Kurt awoke roughly. Well, if one could really call it waking up since he felt like he hardly slept. He tossed and turned for most of the night. The bed was uncomfortable, the sheets were itchy and the room smelled stale. The only comfort Kurt had through out the night was the message from Noah. Kurt sighed as he woke well before his alarm went off. He wished he could go out for a walk to clear his head but he knew most of the people who cared about him would kill. Not to mention the stalker. Kurt rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom. As he walked in, his gaze was drawn to the mirror. He looked even worse than the night before. He looked like a coke addict. He had the sunk in cheeks, the dark bags and the dull, lifeless eyes. It was even more frustrating since Kurt didn't have his cosmetics to make some of the signs of his horrible weekend disappear.

That wasn't fair. Most of the weekend was pretty good. It was actually pretty prefect until he went back to the house on Sunday. Okay, so the word perfect was a little strong but Gucci was it amazing compared to everything else he had gone through yesterday. He had made a new friend, found Tan-tan and gotten his first boyfriend all in the short time before everything went to hell.

Kurt looked at the shower and grimaced. He didn't want to take a shower here. The horrible stories he heard about fungus and mold in hotel showers freaked him out. Then again, what other choice did he have. Really, it was this or the shower at school and that wasn't any better. Kurt walked back out to the bathroom and grabbed the plastic bag with the clothes Auntie Ella bought for him. He smiled. He just wished that he could erase most of Sunday that caused that wonderful event.

Kurt quickly whipped off his clothes and jumped into the shower. He didn't even care about the weird temperature changes that happened from one minute to another. This shower was strictly just to get clean. Kurt managed to get out of the shower in less than ten minutes and for a boy who usually took at least an hour, it was a huge accomplishment. Kurt grabbed the remaining clothes from the bag and put them on. He didn't even glance in the mirror since he knew that there was nothing he could do to change in what he saw. His image of always being immaculate was going to be destroyed today.

When he got back into the bedroom, Kurt glanced at his dad. Burt had not moved all night. Kurt didn't know if it was just pure exhaustion from what had happened or if it had to do with him still being mad at Kurt but either way it was Kurt's fault. Kurt sighed as he walked over to his dad's bed. Kurt put his hand on his dad's shoulder and gently shook him. Burt jerked awake almost immediately. Kurt quickly retreated from the bed so his dad didn't feel crowded. Kurt watched as his dad slowly became more aware of what happened yesterday.

Burt looked at the alarm and back at Kurt. Kurt knew his dad was trying to figure out why Kurt was up so early but it made sense concerning how long of a day the previous day was. Burt ran a hand over his face as he sat up and turned toward Kurt.

"Why are you up so early?"

Kurt shrugged. There really wasn't a good answer but he wanted to get out of the hotel as soon as possible. The whole place was a bleak reminder of how his life had been turned upside down.

Burt laid back down. "Go back to sleep. God knows we both need it."

Kurt was about to listen to his dad when he realized that he couldn't go back to sleep after everything that had happened. No, he would be up thinking about the house and how he and his dad were now homeless. He would wonder about how much his dad really blamed him for what had happened and hope it was less than he feared.

Kurt shook his head. "I don't think I could go back to sleep."

Burt had already closed his eyes and had turned away from Kurt. "Just lay down. I didn't get much sleep last night because of Officer Willis's phone call."

Kurt felt guilty. He knew that his dad must have been exhausted and worried all day until Noah had driven them to the house. Kurt frowned. "I'm sorry about that."

Kurt heard his dad sigh. "It's not your fault."

Even after hearing the works, Kurt couldn't believe that his dad meant it from the way his dad was acting.

"Um, can I call Noah so he can pick me up for school?" Kurt asked softly.

Burt looked over his shoulder to Kurt. "No, I'll be taking you to and from school from now on."

Kurt was a little shocked. "What about football practice and defense class? What about the shops?"

Burt turned to face Kurt. "You can stay at the school until after football especially since it's almost over for the year but I don't know about those defense classes. I mean, what do you really know about the people who are running them?"

Kurt shook his head. He didn't want to loose Mac and Jesse. "Maybe you could come and check out the gym and meet Mac and Jesse. Would that help?"

Burt shrugged. "Maybe but I still don't know how I feel about you hanging out with Noah."

Kurt was about to interrupt but his dad held up a hand to stop him.

Burt sighed. "Look, I know I said that having more guy friends would be good for you but maybe you were right about who you should hang out with. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed you to be more like me when I was in school."

Kurt felt his jaw drop. His dad finally realized that maybe he didn't know everything but Burt was trying to take away Noah from him. "Dad, the only reason why I haven't gone completely crazy in the last few weeks is because of Noah. He's been there for me. Heck, if I hadn't been at his house yesterday, who knows what would have happened."

Burt sighed as he sat up. "I understand that but he's part of the group that has been harassing you."

Kurt's eyes narrowed. "So most of the guys have..." Kurt stopped knowing that he was not helping his case.

Burt looked up and matched Kurt's glare. "Kurt, why can't you just hang out with Finn. I mean he's a nice guy and he seems to really want to help you out."

Kurt clenched his fists. "You mean the Finn that used to give slushee baths most of middle school? That Finn? Or do you mean the one who welcomed me to high school by throwing me into the dumpster? Or how about the one who ignored me every morning when I said hello until he joined glee? Is that the Finn you are talking about?"

Kurt could see the befuddlement clear on this dad's face. Kurt took a second for the sick satisfaction of dirtying Finn's image in his father's eyes. He knew he should be a better person than that but after hearing about the-wonder-who-is-Finn, it was nice to see him being lowered to the level of mere mortals.

"Then why did you introduce me to his mom? I mean you two seem pretty buddy-buddy before." Burt said.

Kurt nodded. He really had no defense for that. "I forgave him. Dad, teenagers are horrible people because of the mob mentality. I can forgive someone for not wanting to be on the outside of the in-crowd because it's a lonely place to be. I know I put on a good show of being strong and independent but the last few weeks the guys have actually made me feel comfortable at school. They take me to my classes. They make me sit with them at lunch. They have even tried to figure out why I'm gay and been upset when they heard what happened to me. I know that they might not have always been my friends BUT they are trying. They changed and apologized. They are willing to try and I don't want to go back to being the pariah at school." Kurt took a deep breath and walked over to his dad. "And dad, if I'm able to forgive them after what they did to me, shouldn't you?"

Burt looked like a kicked puppy as Kurt inched closer. "Kurt, you're a good forgiving person but I don't think I can stop being mad at those boys. Now that you told me about Finn, I don't know what to do."

Kurt put his hand on his dad's shoulder. "Dad, you have to trust me to make some decisions about my life."

Burt grabbed Kurt and pulled him into his lap. "Kurt, I know you can. It's just... sometimes... Sometimes, I wished you would have just stayed that adorable little boy who thought I was the center of the world and I could keep all the bad from you."

Kurt wrapped his arms around his dad. "Dad, I'll always be your little boy and you'll always be one of the most important people in the world. I don't know what I would do without you, dad."

Kurt felt his dad's arms wrap around him tight. "You are the most important person in mine, kid."

Kurt buried his head in his dad's shoulder. This is what he had wanted all day yesterday. He was safe in his dad's arms and he knew nothing in the world could hurt him here. Kurt felt himself start to relax as he felt his dad's hand move up and down his back.

Kurt started a little when his dad spoke. "Hey kid, I know you want to go to school but how about I pick you up early so we can hang put."

Kurt smiled brightly at his dad. "That sounds great."

Kurt's dad reached his hand out and pushed Kurt signature coif out of the way and kissed his son on the forehead. "You never stop amazing me, Kurt. From the second you were born."

Kurt felt the blood rush to his cheeks. "Thanks dad!"

The pair stayed in the half embrace for a while longer until Burt slowly pushed his son off his lap. "I'm going to grab a quick shower before dropping you off." Kurt nodded and laid down on his dad's bed. His dad was acting like he used to when Kurt was little. Burt had always been an affectionate dad. There had been hugs on bad days and kisses with story time. When he was eight and his mom pasted away, Kurt had slept in his mom's place until he was strong enough to sleep by himself again. Gucci, until last year, Burt still came to check on Kurt while he was going to bed. Kurt had been worried that with age those needed moments would have been less allowed but apparently not. It wasn't the same as when he was little but he felt the same security he felt back when.

Kurt listened to the shower on. The soft sound of the water hitting the tiles started to lull Kurt into a semi-awake state. By the time Burt came out, Kurt was almost asleep again. Kurt blinked sleepily as he felt his dad's hand on his shoulder. When Kurt's vision focused, he saw his dad leaning over him concern clear in his eyes.

Kurt smiled bravely. "Stop worrying so much, dad. I mean you'll loose the little hair you have left and I don't know if you can pull off bald."

Burt smiled though it looked a little forced to Kurt. "I'll have you know I'd be extremely handsome bald."

Kurt rose on eyebrow. "Yeah, that's why you always wear those beat up baseball caps."

Burt joking folded his arms. "I'm doing the Retro farm look."

Kurt smiled. "I love you dad but that look doesn't look good on anyone."

Burt laughed and ran his hand through Kurt's hair much to the teen's annoyance. "How about when we go out shopping tonight, you get to pick put a few new things for me to wear?"

Kurt smiled widely. Nothing made him excited than playing dress up. "Sounds good."

Burt moved away from Kurt. "Come on, kid. Time to start the day."

Kurt nodded and realized that he didn't have his books, homework or even a pencil for school. "Dad, what am I going to do about school?"

Burt looked a little worried as spoke. "Well, I asked Finn if he could help you out with books and everything. I'll talk to your principal so he can figure out what to do about your school work."

Kurt nodded. He knew his dad would feel more comfortable about letting Finn help him than his friends but that didn't mean that Kurt was. "I'll ask the guys. Between the team and Finn, I should be covered."

Burt stiffened. "I still don't really want you to hang out with those guys."

Kurt's eyebrows shot up with surprise. "I thought we already talked this through."

Burt shook his head. "I know that you think you can trust these guys but I'm not so sure. I want you to stay with Finn for the day."

Kurt shook his head. "No, I know that would make you feel better but I would rather have the guys following me around. I mean they have been doing it ever since last weekend when my car was destroyed."

"Just because they are nice to you now doesn't mean that they will stay that way." Burt sighed.

Kurt clenched his jaw. "But it doesn't mean that they have to change back to the way they were before either. Maybe they have grown and mature. I heard that's what people do at times."

Burt groaned darkly. "A leopard doesn't lose its spots."

Kurt countered. "Everyone deserves a second chance.'"

Burt shook his head. "Kurt, I'm trying to keep you safe."

"Dad, I'm safe with these guys." Kurt said emphatically.

Burt shook his head. "You don't know that for sure."

Kurt took a cleansing breathe. "You're right. I don't know that for sure but I do know I feel safer when they are around than when they are not so I would rather keep them around."

The father and son glared at each other. They were both stubborn men and neither wanted to back down from his stance on the issue. It was only the fact that Kurt phone rang that the stand off stopped. Kurt looked at his phone to see Mercedes' name pop up. Kurt knew that it was a good thing it was her and not one of the guys but he had almost wished that they had called since it would have proved his point that the guys really did care about him.

Kurt grabbed his phone and picked up. "Hey, Mercedes." Kurt noticed that his dad looked a little relieved when he heard Mercedes' name. "What's up?"

Mercedes answered. "Just checking if you are going to be in school today."

Kurt sighed. He wasn't looking forward to it but he knew it was the better of his two options. "Yeah, I'll be there. My dad is going to drop me off."

"Okay, I'll meet you at the door."

Kurt laughed a little apparently Mercedes was now going to be added to the guard rotation.

After Kurt said his goodbyes to Mercedes, the silence returned to the hotel room. Kurt spoke when the quiet became crushing. "I guess we should be heading out." Kurt moved to put shoes on and grabbed his jacket.

Kurt heard his dad start to shuffle around him as he opened the door to the hallway before his dad could speak. Kurt knew he was being a little childish but his dad was being way too overprotective. Kurt waited for his dad right outside the door.

After Burt came out, the Hummels walked slowly towards the car. There were a few times where Kurt thought that his dad was about to say something but not a word passed through Burt's lips. Kurt reached the car and patiently waited for the doors to be unlock. He rubbed the handle absently as he thought about his baby that was destroyed. When he thought about his car, it reinforced Kurt's anger. After what he had gone through in the last few weeks, it was only right that he should be allowed to make some choices that would make him happy. He understood where his dad was coming from but Kurt refused go be wrapped in bubble wrap for the rest of his life. He felt the best way to get back at this crazed stalker was to live it the way he wanted and be happy with who he was. He knew that it might not be the safest option but maybe there would never be a time when everyone would be happy with who he was and who he loved. He was getting sick of running away.

Kurt was about to speak his mind when his dad spoke up. "Kurt, I know that it seems like I'm trying to keep you from having fun or that I'm a hypocrite for telling you not to hang out with the jocks and cool kids but I never had to deal with half the stuff that you have to. I might not have been the homecoming king but I was in the in crowd. I remember how much fun I had in high school and I wanted some of that for you. I know that we aren't the same person but I can't image that it would be fun to be on the outside looking in so I pushed you. I pushed you into football, I pushed you into making more macho friends, and I pushed you into something that could be dangerous."

Kurt looked at his dad with shock. "Dad, this is not your fault. Whether I was part of the team or if I was a cheerleader or heck if I was student body president, this could have happened. And it's not something you or I did. The guy's is clearly unhinged and wanting to take pain out on someone else. You shouldn't blame yourself."

Burt shook his head. "I'm your dad and I left you alone with a crazy man on the loose. I should have realized that something like this was going to happen."

Kurt laughed a little. "You're my dad, not psychic. Unless there is something we need to discuss. You have spent the last 16 years completely devoted to me and I think you taught me well enough that I can take care of myself. Also, nothing happened to me. Yeah, my stuff is gone and I'm a little scared but otherwise, I'm pretty good."

Burt shook his head. "You shouldn't be so scared. I mean you're just 16. You should be worrying about your next English test, not if some psycho is coming after you."

Kurt nodded. "I know but life isn't always easy and though I don't understand why this stuff keeps happening to me, I do have quite a few things to be grateful for. I mean, I have you, my friends, my health, my good grades and I'm so very loved." Kurt tried to put a little diva spin on his words but he was too upset to try very hard. Kurt took in a deep breath and continued. "Dad, I need these guys. Right now, I need to feel a little normal. I need to feel less like a freak and more of the pseudo-little brother that the guys are using me for."

Kurt turned to see his dad grinding his teeth as Burt continued to drive. Kurt turned away to see the school coming into view with a large crowd next to the door. He could make out a few of the people and the crowd and realized it was his guard waiting for him at the door. Actually, it was all his guards and the glee group from the large mass of people wait. Smiling, he turned to his dad to see the grinding was now accompanied by a dark glare.

"Kurt, stay with Finn."

Kurt shook his head with slight pain. How could his dad be asking for him to give up his friends when he ended them so badly? Or was he just being selfish to be asking his dad to accept them since he had just put his dad through so much as of late? Kurt looked at his friends and realized that he really did need them right now. "Dad, trust me. I know they will keep me safe."

Burt slammed his foot on the break a little too quickly as they come up to the curve. "Kurt, I am asking you to listen to me."

Kurt felt himself start to tear up. "I can't."

Before Burt could say anything else, Kurt opened the car door and rushed out. He ran to the crowd, scanning the faces until he found the one that he needed to see. The second he found Noah, he launched himself at the larger boy and buried himself in Noah's strong chest.


	32. Chapter 32

Hey, I'm back... at least for a chapter... I am trying. I will not give up on this story. It's just that life is very busy. Thank you for all the review and the PMs. You are awesome. Guilty is the main reason that this chapter is getting posted right now. I saw the reviews and the PMs and felt like a horrible person. So here is the next chapter brought to you by readers like you.

Also not Betaed so sorry.

Kurt didn't move even when he felt the Noah pull away from him. He grabbed onto the larger boy's shirt and dug his fingers in. Kurt felt Noah move closer to him.

"Hey, princess. I don't mind you using me as your personal wind blocker but I promised my mom that I would talk to your dad."

Kurt turned his head to look Noah. Kurt didn't want Noah to talk to his dad since he didn't trust his dad not to make a mess of whatever Noah was going to say. Coco Chanel, what if his dad told Noah to stay away from him. Noah probably wouldn't listen but what if this was the first time Noah followed directions.

Kurt felt Noah dragging him back towards the parking lot. Kurt finally turned to see his dad sitting in his car looking very pissed off. Kurt twisted to convince Noah that it was a horrible idea to try and talk to his dad right now. Yet, one look at Noah,s face proved that this was't something that Noah wanted to do either. Kurt smiled softly. Noah was such a momma's boy.

When they reached Burt's car, Mr. Hummel lowered his window. Kurt was just happy that his dad seemed more interested in being angry with him rather than Noah. He wanted Noah to be okay with talking to his dad since they were almost dating. Yes, just because she didn't tell his dad what was happening yet, that didn't mean that Kurt wasn't going to but considering how Burt reacted to Noah being his friend it might be a while. Honestly, Kurt was sure that Burt would go ballistic if he heard right now.

Noah pulled his backpack in front of him and he greeted Kurt's dad. 'Hello, Mr. Hummel. Ummm... my mom couldn't really sleep last night because of everything so she kind of decided to do some baking." Noah pulled out a pretty full plastic bag. "Mom made cupcakes and brownies plus she made you a turkey sandwich. If you don't want that, she also packed a salad with some of the left overs from last night's dinner." Noah placed the food on the seat next to Burt. He turned towards Kurt. "Mom, actually, made enough that I'm probably going to be feeding the whole team for the rest of the week. Probably where I got the need to cook from."

Kurt saw that his dad was a little taken aback. It took a few seconds for Burt to reply. "Thank your mom for me."

Noah nodded and then ran a hand through his mowhawk. "Yeah, mom also said to tell you that if you and Kurt need anywhere to go you're welcome at our place. Kurt and I can take the basement and you can have my room."

Kurt hugged Noah closer to him. Kurt heard Noah grunt softly. "Princess, I need to breath."

Burt must have heard what Noah said since he snort much to Kurt's amusement. So both men could bond over making fun of him. Kurt didn't know if that was really good for him but at least it was a start.

When Kurt finally let go of Noah, the taller boy reached back into his bag and handed Burt a list if numbers. Kurt was curious about what it was but the confusion on his dad face that turned to relief was a good sign.

Noah cleared his throat. "The guys and I got together and made a shift list for Kurt's little body guard. That's the times they are in charge and their phone numbers. Also if they are in Kurt's class or next door they are listed at the bottom. We all have copies and I thought that you might want one."

Kurt watched his dad scan the list. Burt finally spoke. "I don't see your name on here."

Kurt spoke up. "Try under Puck."

As Burt looked over the list again, Noah spoke. "I'm usually not in my classes but I'll be in the ones that Kurt has. I can pick him up from where you two are staying."

Bust put the sheet next to him and turned to Noah again. "So that Dave kid and his friend aren't on the list."

Noah shrugged. "Karofsky doesn't have too many friends right now and the idea of putting him alone with Kurt didn't go over well so he'll be part of the outliers who are helping with Azimio. They are not so much body guards but crowd control."

Kurt pushed Noah slightly. " Azimio isn't that bad."

Noah shrugged. "He volunteered."

"This is all right nice of you, kid..." Burt said as he took off his hat and brushed his hand over his head. Kurt was sure the little hair that Burt had left was probably going to fall off with all the rubbing is dad was doing. "I mean that you really don't have to go through all this."

Noah smile bashfully. Kurt didn't think he had ever seen this side of Noah before. "It's not a big deal."

Kurt knew from his dad's tone that whatever he wanted to say wasn't going to go over well.

"The thing is that I want to keep an eye on Kurt so I'll be picking him up and drop him off from now on." Burt said.

Kurt felt Noah tense. "Mr. Hummel, I would never do anything to hurt Kurt."

Kurt saw his dad's jaw tense. Before this turned into a fight in front of all his friends, Kurt intervened. "Dad just wants to check out what I'm up to. Kind of like you like keeping tabs on me." Kurt said as he nudged Noah with his shoulder. "Dad wants to meet Jesse and Mac too."

Kurt heard his dad start to object and turned to look into the car. "I mean it would be good if I had some basic defense classes under my belt in case anything happens."

Noah snorted next to Kurt. "Princess, it's going to be a long time before anyone lets you go pee by yourself so you might not need those classes after all."

Kurt glared at Noah but knew better than to argue his case for privacy in front of his dad. His dad was probably loving the idea of Kurt never being alone ever again. "How about dad picks up the two of us and we can all go to the gym together?"

"Leaving school early to go shopping?" Burt asked.

Kurt sighed. There really wasn't any winning here. "I want to go but I also want to go to defense. I don't mind about missing football if I have to." Right now Kurt was already so tired he would be useless during practice. Not that it mattered since the real games were over for the season.

Nodding, Noah spoke. "I'll tell coach."

Kurt looked at his dad pleadingly. "Please dad?"

For a second, it looked like Burt was going to hold his ground. As he turned away from the teens, he replied. "I guess that will work." He took the car out of park and into drive. "I'll text you when I'm free Kurt and we'll come and get you right after practice." He said pointedly at Noah clearing showing that he still thought the defense classes were not worth the hassle.

Kurt rubbed his arm against Noah's to calm the very tense teen. Noah wasn't the best at authority figures and this was probably rubbing Noah in all the wrong ways but here he was standing there for Kurt.

Burt nodded his head towards the teens and started to pull away from the school. As his car sped away, Kurt turned and wrapped himself around Noah. He knew he was being clingy but the two people he felt safe with were Noah and his dad. Considering his dad and him had been fighting all morning, Noah was going to be his anchor for right now. Suddenly Kurt felt himself being lifted off the ground bridal style. He quickly wrapped his arms around Noah's broad shoulders to make sure he didn't fall. Not that Noah would let him but he had never been swept off his feet like this before. Hoisted to be thrown into the dumpster, yes but not lifted with care and moved. He kind of liked it even though it was completely feminizing. "What's with the Fabio treatment?"

Noah replied with a devilish grin. "Well, you are a fairy princess."

Kurt snorted. Noah really didn't have any room to mock him since Noah was trying to date him.

When they reached the bunch huddled next to the door, Kurt was allowed back onto his feet only to get the breath almost taken out of him when Mercedes grabbed him tightly. "Boo, you had us all worried sick when you disappeared so we came up with a plan."

Brittney interjected. "Actually, it was Puck's idea."

Kurt turned to Noah with a small smile. "I'm sure it was."

Noah seemed uncharacteristically shy at all the attention he was getting. It was in complete contrast with the football player's normally brash attitude. "Here's your schedule and who will be with you." Noah thrust a piece of paper at Kurt.

Kurt looked at the list and noticed he didn't have a moment of peace. The whole day was filled with at least one body guard and that was only if it was Noah. Most of the day, he had two or more shadows. Some were his friends from glee but they were backed up by the football team. There was even a rotation for lunch and waiting in the parking lot before and after school. Kurt was sure that even the president had more time to himself than he was going to be getting in the next few day. Kurt could only hope that the hovering would end by Thursday or Friday. The hovering might actually make him got insane.

Looking up to yell at the group of insane mother hens he called friends, he saw the worried, tired looks on their faces and bit back his rant. The girls looked this side of sick since they were a little on the pale side. The boys seemed to be glancing in every direction seemingly trying to keep their eyes out for any trouble that could pop out. Kurt started to smile as he realized how worried all the mess of teens really were and how they came to care about a kid a few years ago wouldn't have even gotten a second glance. To cover how overwhelmed he was, Kurt moved to Noah's side and buried himself in the older teens shoulder. "Thank you."

Noah didn't reply to Kurt. Instead, Kurt felt Noah pull him closer, almost crushing his smaller body into Noah's muscular frame. Not that Kurt was complaining. Kurt smiled right before he felt himself being pulled away from Noah and squeezed by Mercedes.

The dark skinned diva succeeded in pushing out all the air from Kurt's lungs this time with her hug before relaxing in Kurt's grip. Kurt felt a shallow shiver go through her body. He started to move his had up and down her back, trying to soothe his friend. "Oh hun, I'm fine. The little secret service detail the boys put together is going to make sure I stay that way."

Kurt felt Mercedes nod as she relaxed in his arms.

"Don't think I haven't found a way to make this all worth it." Kurt said. "I've got the whole football team willing o be groped under the pretense of giving me some comfort hugs." He pulled away from Mercedes to look his friend in the eyes. "Think about all those hard bodies." Kurt wiggled an eyebrow.

Mercedes smiled softly but Kurt could see the water pooling in her eyes. It wasn't that Mercedes wasn't an emotional girl but usually she hid her softer side under the loud catty remakes she made. This was a side of Mercedes that only a few trusted friend knew ever saw. Kurt felt horrible about making his friend so miserable that she was loosing her cool at school.

Kurt tried to smile. "Hey, I've already seen them topless."

Noah must have overheard what Kurt was saying since he put his two cents in. "Princess, are you objectifying us for our bodies?" Kurt saw the tightness in Noah's smile. The football player looked worn out. Kurt hadn't even seen his this tired after football games where he was in the whole time. Kurt was pissed at his stalker for hurting those around him so much.

Before Kurt could reply to Noah's remark, Jason interrupted. "Please. Who would want to objectify you? If you're looking for a hot piece of man, everyone knows," Jason gestured towards himself, "this is what you are looking for. Aren't I right girls?" Jason leered at the glee girls who were surrounding Kurt.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Give them a few minutes and they'll be half naked."

Santana threw her arm over Kurt's shoulder. "Yes, and we'd all be heart broken." Sarcasm dripped from every word.

Kurt turned to the brunette cheerleader. "I thought you liked girls."

Shrugging, Santana smirked. "I like bodies be they male or female. Hell, I'd try a transexual if they were hot enough."

Kurt shook his hear. "What about Brittany?"

Santana smiled evilly. "We have a look but no touch policy." She leaned closer to Kurt. "This one time Brit was telling me about this guy she thought was hot as I was licking her..."

Kurt let go of Mercedes to cover his ears much to the amusement of the whole group. They all stopped talking and pointedly looked at Kurt. Mercedes was laughing as was Santana. Noah looked at him questioningly.

Kurt looked his hands after he shot Santana a glare. "She was trying to tell me stuff that girls do together."

Berry seemed excited with the information. "Are we talking about her and Brittany because that's hot."

Santana laughed and pulled Kurt closer to her. "Sorry, girl talk. I'm not telling you that if you lick Brit..."

Kurt squeaked and turned red. "Eww."

Noah retrieved Kurt from Santana's grip and started walking him towards the school. "Poor abused Kurt." Noah leaned in close. "We could just tell them how you like being licked."

Kurt turned redder. He leaned closer to Noah. "You've never licked me."

Noah smirked. "As of yet."

Kurt moved away as he smiled slightly. "Pervert," he stated without much heat.

Noah spoke loudly. "Don't knock it 'til you try it."

Before Kurt could rebut Noah's statement, Jason injected. "What should 'lil K try?"

"Licking." Noah said as he let go of Kurt but as soon as Kurt was free Berry arm want over his shoulder.

Berry nodded almost sagely. "It can be fun." He looked at Kurt. "Try popsicles. I've heard they're good practice and they're tasty."

Kurt groaned. Why did he have evil friends? He was going to be a tomato forever.

He heard giggling to his left and saw Tina and Mercedes walking next to Berry. He turned further to see Quinn standing in the back with Finn next to her. He hoped that they were going to get back together if only to help Quinn deal with her problems. He caught Tina's eye and mouthed, "help me." Tina nodded and whispered to Mercedes who quickly hip checked Berry.

"Excuse me, hot stuff. I need to talk to Kurt." Mercedes said.

Berry let go of Kurt and did a sweeping bow. "Of course, my lady...er ladies." For all the regalness he presented as bowed, he came back up bounding on his toes. "I'm going to go watch Josh moon over Berry number two." He quickly got lost in the hoard of teenagers following Kurt.

Kurt turned to Noah. "Berry number two?"

Noah shrugged. "Berry is a little possessive of Josh. Not in the 'I want him way.' More of the 'He's my toy not yours.' Rachel's going to have to chat with Berry's adopted little brother status."

Kurt shrugged and turned back to Mercedes and Tina."

Mercedes nodded as slipped her arm around Kurt's and Tina's arms. "Come on Bo. We're going to have a little talk."


	33. Chapter 33

As a thank you for all those who have reviewed so that this story hit 600 reviews, I tried my best to get another chapter done. So Yay reviewers! Also extremely big YAY to Bymaga Jones for betaing this chapter. She rocks!

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Kurt sighed and let himself be torn away from his group of followers as he realized he had a posse. Mercedes dragged him into the girl's bathroom with Tina following quickly behind the two of them. As soon as Tina was through the door, Mercedes stuck her head outside and said, "We're going to be a little while. Any problems?" Before anyone could answer, she closed and locked the door. Kurt shook his head. As often as this happened, it was a wonder more people don't lose bladder control in the hallway.

Tina giggled softly as Kurt spoke. "They're just trying to be helpful."

Mercedes gave Kurt an annoyed looked. "I had to argue with those meatheads that glee should be added to the protection list. We've been friends for years, and those airheads have decided they know what you need better than we do."

Kurt shrugged as he leaned against the sink farthest from the door. "They want to help and let's be honest, glee isn't exactly known for its defensive capabilities. I mean outside of the jocks from the football team, the most effective defense we have is Rachel's catty remarks, and those can easily ignored."

Tine spoke softly. "Santana did a good job on Karofsky."

Mercedes stopped pacing the small bathroom and stared at Kurt. "That's another thing. Karofsky's gay? When did that happen?"

Shrugging, Kurt started to play with the hem of his shirt. His gaze was fixed on the floor. He really didn't want to be interrogated again today. "I found out last week. I mean, he had reasons why he was such an ass. They weren't great reasons, but they're gone now, so he doesn't have to be as big of a dick anymore. He's trying."

There was silence in the bathroom. Kurt looked up to see Mercedes with her arms folded over her chest, waiting expectantly.

Kurt dropped his eyes again. "His boyfriend's hot. I don't mean hot for a guy dating Dave. I mean hot. And a good dresser. He was wearing this beautiful wool peacoat when Noah and I met him. He..."

"That's another thing. When did Puck become your go to person? A month ago, you hated him." Mercedes almost yelled.

Kurt scoffed. "I never hated Noah." When Mercedes shot him a measured glare, he continued, "I'm not saying that I didn't have negative feelings for him or on some days I didn't wish he fell off a cliff, but the only person who I really hated was Dave."

Mercedes threw her hands over her head in frustration. "And now you're friends with DAVE too."

Kurt was getting angry at how Mercedes didn't seemed to be listening to him. How was it that the immature boys from the football team understood when to shut up and listen yet his dad and his best friend didn't? "There is a good reason why he was like that, and you have to trust me that he won't be like that anymore. It's my life. I don't need everyone telling me how they think I should live it."

"Then tell me Kurt. What's the absolving reason for Karofsky being a dick to you for all these years is? What could be SO BIG it makes up for the dumpster dives? Why can he get away with all the bruises that he caused you?" Mercedes started pacing again.

Kurt wanted to shout at Mercedes that the reason Dave had been such a dick was that he was terrified of his dad. He wanted to tell his best friend about how horribly Dave's dad had beaten his brother. That Pat Karofsky was still in the hospital because he was so hurt from what his father did. But it really wasn't any of Mercedes' business. It was the first honest thing that Dave had ever told him. It was Dave had shown Kurt a side of himself by telling Kurt about his family problems. A side that he kept well hidden. If he told Mercedes about Dave, he would lose any chance of becoming his friend and though he didn't really care so much about Dave right now, Kurt could see that there might be someone worth knowing under all those rude remarks and Neanderthal like gestures. After all, Blaine seemed like a pretty normal guy and he saw something in Dave to care about so maybe Kurt could too. Kurt glared at Mercedes. "I can't tell you."

Mercedes glared back. "I'm supposed to be your best friend but you're keeping secrets from me."

Kurt reeled back from that comment. Yes, he was keeping secrets from her, but this one wasn't out of choice. Gucci, he wanted to tell her about how Noah and he were getting closer and about the supposed date that they were going to go on, but this really wasn't the time or the place. Also considering how pissed off he was, he wasn't sure he even wanted to tell her just due to spite. He replied back to Mercedes in a low controlled voice, "It's not my secret to tell."

Mercedes opened her mouth, but Tina interceded. "Stop fighting." She turned to Mercedes. "If Kurt says he's fine, why don't you give Karofsky a chance to prove himself?"

"Exactly." Kurt said victoriously.

Turning to Kurt, Tina continued, "And Mercedes is upset because of what has happened and the fact that you don't really talk to us about anything anymore. It's like you don't need us at all."

Kurt's jaw dropped. He stared at Tina for a few seconds in disbelief before turning to see a worried look on Mercedes' face. "Oh honey, you two are still my best girls." He grabbed Tina and Mercedes in a hug.

Kurt felt Mercedes wrap her arms around him. "Yeah, your best girls," she said softly.

Kurt shook his head. "Mercedes, you aren't going to be replaced by some sweaty jocks. Who can give me a run for my money with catty fashion remarks? Who can deal with my crazy shopping excursions? Who are the only two people who truly love glee because of the music and not the fame unlike that diva Rachel?"

Kurt could feel Mercedes tremble as his shirt started to get soaked. It was hard sometimes to remember that under that brave tough exterior, Mercedes was just as scared as everyone else. Holding his girls until there was a knock on the door, Kurt realized that he had been ignoring the two of them. Ralph Lauren, the last time there was a girls night he had invited the other girls from glee to come along. He really needed some time with his two girls.

"How about the three of us do something together?" Kurt asked.

Mercedes pulled away to wipe her face. She looked in the mirror and started to smooth her hair, and Kurt could see the mask return. It was times like this Kurt knew Mercedes and he were eerily alike. While Tina hid behind her shyness, Mercedes and he hid behind being out in the spotlight. "Tonight?" She asked.

Kurt shook his head. "Nope, I have plans with Noah."

Mercedes glanced at him. It was a playful look rather than the hard one he would've received a few minutes before. "Really?"

Kurt shrugged. He wanted to tell Mercedes everything but not at the school. He wanted to be in a happy setting. He knew his friend would want all the details and they didn't have the time right now since they probably only had a few minutes until there first class. "He's teaching me self defense. My dad's coming with me to the gym to watch today," Kurt said as he unlocked the door. It swung open to reveal Noah standing at the other side with Dave.

Kurt could almost feel the uneasiness radiating from Mercedes but was happy that his friend was trusting his judgment. Kurt moved close to Dave and bumped his shoulder into the larger boy's. "Come on, boys," he said.

Kurt led the way as he heard Dave comment behind him, "Does he think we're dogs?"

Noah snorted. "He's got us all trained to his beck and call, so yeah I think he does."

Kurt heard Santana's voice from behind as well. "I think that makes him queen bitch, right?"

Kurt spun around to look at the cheerleader. "Jealous?"

Santana moved past Dave and Noah. "Nope. Being queen comes with responsibilities. As just a regular bitch, I can do what I want without the headache."

Kurt shook his head. Of course, Santana would have a comeback for that. He turned back to walk down the hallway. "So what's your first class?"

Santana shrugged as she walked next to Kurt, Mercedes and Tina. "Math. It's not like I'm ever going to use it outside of school."

Kurt smiled. "You mean that you won't have to figure out if a triangle at the mall has a right angle or if it has an acute one?"

"Damn straight. This stuff is only useful if you want to go to college and I really don't want to go to more school after this."

Kurt looked at his friend. "What do you want to do after you graduate?"

Santana was quiet for a moment. "I don't really know. I just know I'm not going to get into one of the good schools like some of the guys on the football team. I know that's because I haven't really done anything but cheerleading and glee but I really don't care. I honestly just want to find a job and maybe get a place for myself as soon as possible."

Her response puzzled Kurt. He guessed that the majority of his friends wanted to go to college after they left high school. It mostly stemmed from wanting to get hell out of Lima. Not that it was a bad town but there was so much more out there to explore. Kurt could see how this nosy, brash girl next to him didn't want to see it.

"Don't you want to get out of Lima?" Kurt asked.

Santana snorted. "Why? All my family is here. Most of the people who I care about are here. I'm in no hurry to leave."

Kurt nodded. He could understand that to a point. After all, the worst part of going to college was going to be leaving his dad. Yet, Kurt wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. This little town had shown him so much ugliness. He wanted to free to be who he was without worrying about everyone and their brother feeling like they had the right to comment about it. It was surprising Santana didn't feel the same way. Kurt glanced at her. Then again, Santana was probably strong enough to stay in this little town just to show them that they couldn't scare her away.

"What about Brittany?"

Santana shrugged. "She's one of the bright spots in this place and as much as I love her, I don't think she's college material either. It's fine with the two of us."

Kurt was a little taken aback. "Santana, that's so far away. It's more than two years."

Santana shrugged and had a surprisingly sweet and innocent look. It was had so much hope. "If me and Brit make it, that will be awesome. I know we love each other enough to be together for the long haul, but I also know that sometimes life comes in the middle of something awesome and ruins it." She smiled mischievously as she leaned in to Kurt. "But until then, I can love her and she me. No one can take that from us."

Kurt wrapped his arm around Santana's waist. "You are too amazing for words."

Santana laughed and gave him a hug as they reached his classroom. "And don't forget it. The world really sucks, but you have the choice to tell it to fuck off."

Kurt nodded as Santana let go of him and grabbed Brit's arm to drag her partner to class. Brittany smiled widely and waved goodbye to Kurt and his entourage.

Kurt felt an arm weave under his and turned to see Tina smiling. He let his hand fall into her and squeezed tightly. "We have some awesome friends."

Tina nodded.

Kurt turned to her and asked, "Where's Mercedes?"

Tina tilted her head behind Kurt.

Kurt turned to see Mercedes arguing with Azimo. The funniest part was that it looked like the huge linebacker needed to be rescued, not that any of the boys looked like they were going to interrupt. They were all too busy laughing at him. Kurt sighed and walked over to the pair. Azimo should never look that frightened by anyone much less a Mercedes, who was all bark and no bite. Okay, mostly bark and no bite. She did break Kurt's car windows that one time but he could almost understand that since he got his dad and Carole together because he thought he was in love with Finn. Love/lust/desire made one do crazy things.

Kurt glanced at Noah and Dave, who both put their hands up in defeat. Kurt shook his head.

He went and nudged Mercedes who looked away from Azimo for a second to welcome him. "Hey, Boo."

"Mercedes, what are you doing to Azimo?" Kurt questioned as he threw an arm over her shoulder and pulled her away from the bigger man.

Mercedes shrugged his arm off her shoulders but continued walking to class. Kurt turned to see Azimo mouth, "Thank you" to him before he went to Dave's side.

Mercedes shrugged. "I just wanted to tell him that he better not just turn back into Dave's lackey."

Kurt raised an eyebrow.

Mercedes shrugged. "I'll tell you about it later, okay?"

Kurt raised both of his eyebrows at that. This was getting interesting. "Okay, how about Wednesday before defense?"

Tina joined the duo as they walked in the door. Mercedes smiled. "What? You and Puck have something going on tomorrow too?"

Kurt shook his head. "I might have the study sessions with the boys, though I don't know where we are going to study now."

Mercedes grabbed Kurt's hand. "You okay?"

Kurt tightened his grip on Mercedes' hands. "As okay as I can be for right now." He gave her a tight smile. Mercedes gabbed him in another hug. Kurt chuckled. It seemed like hugs were given out so freely now and he couldn't be any more grateful since he needed the contact.

Kurt looked over his shoulder to see Mr. Kirk starting to set up for class. He let go of Mercedes and moved to his seat. Finn was already sitting in his seat. The taller teen seemed at a loss to what to say, so he gave Kurt a tight nod. Kurt nodded back and sat at his desk. Kurt felt a little lost since he was always so prepared for class but didn't have anything with him for school today.

Before Kurt could continue to wonder what to do, Finn bent over to his bag and grabbed another book, a notebook and a few pens. He turned and put them on Kurt's desk.

When Kurt looked at him questioningly, he spoke with a shrug. "I know Quinn doesn't have history until later into the day so I asked if I could borrow her book." He grabbed a sheet of paper from the notebook that Kurt was just given and wrote down a string of numbers. "I kind of asked for a few of the guys from the team for their books too. I put them in my locker." He handed Kurt the slip of paper. "That's the combo. You can go grab whatever you want from there."

Kurt looked down at the items covering his desk and smiled at Finn. Maybe his dad and Noah were right, Finn wasn't such a bad guy after all. "Thanks, Finn."

The QB looked away bashfully. "It's no big deal."

Kurt saw a hint of a smile on the football player's face before he turned around to face Mr. Kirk. The bell rang and Kurt opened his borrowed book to the page that Mr. Kirk had written on the board with a grin on his face.

Kurt was in his third period class when he felt his phone go off. Luckily, it was on silent or Mrs. Vincent would have been pissed. Kurt waited until she turned to the board to whip his phone out. He looked down to see a text from his dad saying that he would be at the school to pick him up. Kurt smiled. The football team and glee did a great job keeping people away from him, but he was still getting some very questioning looks and he was tired of the whispers. Jason was in class with him so he turned and nodded to his friend. Jason nodded back. Apparently Noah had told the boys that he was leaving early.

A few minutes later, much to his chagrin Kurt heard the school intercom come on. "Mr. Kurt Hummel, please report to the principal's office."

The whole class turned to look at him as he tried not to blush. Luckily, Jason got up at the same time as Kurt. Mrs. Vincent gave him a sharp look. "And where do you think you are going, Mr. Anderson?"

Jason shrugged. "I need to use the bathroom."

Mrs. Vincent seemed unhappy with his answer.

Jason sighed. "May I please use the bathroom?"

She nodded and gestured Jason and Kurt forward.

Jason went first as Kurt was grabbing the books he had gotten from Finn's locker. He wasn't surprised when he found Jason waiting for him outside the door. He smiled as the two of them walked to his locker. He was actually happy that Jason was waiting for him because the hallways would be completely deserted right now. It was be too creepy going down the corridor with the echoing of his school making odd noises. It would be like a scene straight out of a horror flick and while Kurt enjoyed watching said movies, he didn't want to live in one. Though with what was happening in his life, he was pretty close to it. Jason started to text someone and Kurt rolled his eyes. "Is that to Noah?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah, Puck and the rest of the crew. By the way, what're your dad's digits? None of us have 'em."

Kurt rolled his eyes as he pulled the slip with Finn's locker combination. "I'm going to see him in a few seconds."

Jason looked up and nodded. "Yeah, but in case we get a call from him. Most of usignore odd numbers. Telemarketers and shit, you know."

Kurt could understand. He never picked up on odd phone numbers either. He grabbed Jason's phone and put in his dad's number. Jason took it back and seemed to text it out to the group. Kurt put his stuff in Finn's locker and the two of them walked to the office. Kurt looked at his silent companion and finally spoke up. "Hey, thank you for looking after me."

Jason smiled as if it wasn't a big deal. "Course, 'lil K."

Kurt put his hand on Jason's arm before they entered the office. "No, what you guys are doing is amazing. I don't know how to thank all of you."

Jason grimaced. "Damn, where is Puck? I ain't good with this water works stuff." He pulled his arm from Kurt's hold and put his hands on Kurt's shoulders. "It's like this. You're a cool kid. Some fucked up shit that ain't cool is happening around you. If I didn't step up, I'd be a pussy. Got it?"

Kurt nodded.

Jason let go of Kurt. "Good, now save this shit for Finn or Puck. They're basically girls anyway."

Kurt smiled. "Okay."

Jason opened the door to the office and saw his dad talking to the principal. Kurt saw Jason nod at his dad before he left. The two adults were quiet, and that usually did not bode well for Kurt.

Burt spoke as Kurt stepped next to his dad's chair. "I just told Principal Figgins what happened this weekend. He said that since they rent the books from a company, it'll be a while until you can get replacements."

Kurt shrugged. "Finn actually got me extras from glee and the team. I should be fine for a while. Thank you though."

Burt smiled, but Kurt saw how much this weekend had gotten to him. There were dark circles under his eyes and new worry wrinkles in his forehead. Kurt wanted to help his dad get through this but, he was just as lost as Burt was. Kurt smiled at the principal.

Burt got up and shook Principal Figgins's hand. "Thank you. I'll be taking Kurt now."

Principal Figgins nodded. "Tell me if there is anything else that I can do to help. I am glad Kurt is okay. That is more important than material possessions. I'll try to rush his school books."

Burt nodded and grabbed Kurt affectionately by the neck. "That's true." He turned to face his son. "I don't know what I would have done if Kurt was hurt."

Kurt smiled at his dad. "I'm fine, dad."

Burt nodded and waved at the principal as they left.

The two of them walked out in silence, both of just being happy that the other was there. When Kurt reached the car, he spoke up. "Are you sure you want to go shopping? We could just go to the hotel and nap if you want."

Burt shook his head though he looked wistful. "We need to get you some clothes and if I fall asleep right now I might not wake up until tomorrow."

Nodding, Kurt got into the car. He could understand where his dad was coming from. He was dead on his feet right now. All he wanted to do was crawl between his sheets and pretend that this never happened. Too bad his house was now a crime scene. "Okay, dad but can we go somewhere local?"

Burt shook his head. "I never thought I would see the day when you want to do your shopping at the local JCP."

Kurt shrugged. "I'm just tired."

Burt turned on the car but paused before driving off. "Do you want to crash? I mean we could just go hang out somewhere?"

Kurt felt a little lost and moved over to sit right next to his dad. Luckily the car had a bench seat rather than bucket seat. "I don't care."

Burt frowned and pulled out of the school parking lot. Kurt lost track of where they were going as soon as they left the school. He closed his eyes and relaxed into the familiar scent of his dad. They drove for a while until Burt pulled into a gravel road. Kurt didn't even care enough to sit up. He just trusted his dad. A few minutes later, Burt shook Kurt a little. Kurt looked at his dad confused.

"Get out of the car." Burt opened his door and walked out. Kurt pulled his coat closer to himself and stepped out. Kurt looked over the view in front of him. They were in a park from when he was really little and his mom was still healthy. They came here a few times. At least once a year for his parents anniversary.

"Dad, why are we here?" Kurt asked.

Burt threw an arm around Kurt and pulled him to a nearby shelter close. After they had stood there looking over the view for a few minutes, Burt interrupted the silence. "I remember the first time I brought your mother here. She was such a nature nut. If she could be outside, she would be. I thought when we first started dating, that it was the loads of the sun that made her as happy and glowing as she was. When she got sick, at times I started blaming the lack of sun for her getting so sick so quickly, but she never lost that glow. She was still that happy joyous person who tried to find the silver lining in everything." Burt looked at Kurt. "She would always give people a second or third or fourth chance. She said it was better that she got hurt than anyone else." Burt's eyes started to water.

"Dad..." this was why Kurt rarely asked his dad about his mom. No matter how long it had been it was still raw in his dad's mind. As much as he wanted to know about her, he couldn't stand hurting his dad like that.

Burt wiped his eyes and shook his head. "No, let me finish. Do you have any idea how many times I had written people off, and your mom just went behind my back and helped them anyway? It drove me crazy. She was the most forgiving person I have ever known. And while sometimes people did fail her, she always said at least she tried." Burt pulled Kurt into a hug. "You remind me so much of her sometimes." Burt tightened his hold on Kurt as Kurt wrapped his arms around his father, clinging to his jacket as tightly as he could. When Burt relaxed, he spoke again. "You want to know what happened when you were school and I was at the police department? Officer Willis got phone calls during every breaking telling us where you were. Your friend Noah decided that the boys should keep me in the loop." Burt chuckled. "Officer Willis's son spent so long describing how you were doing he was late to class."

Kurt giggled. "Berry does have a big mouth."

Burt nodded. "I know. That kid that brought you to the office..."

Kurt supplied, "Jason?"

Nodding, Burt continued, "He texted me to tell me you were on your way out with him." There was a pause before Burt resumed speaking. "I don't know how your mom and you could figure out who to trust but you are both better people than I am."

"Dad!" Kurt was ready to fight his dad over his ridiculous claim. His dad had to put up with so much because of him. If anything he was only as good as he was because of his dad.

Burt let go of Kurt but was smiling. "I'm happy and proud and I love you."

Kurt looked at his dad and grinned. "I love you, too."

Burt ran a hand through Kurt's hair. "I know, kid." He smiled softly. "Should have known that it would take something as big as this to get you to stop using that crap in your hair."

Kurt's hands shot up to his head. He knew he didn't have product in it, but he had kind of forgotten about all that considering how odd the last few days had been. "Maybe we should go to Columbus. I need to get more product."

Burt shook his head. "Nothing doing. Your hair is one of the few good things that you got from me. Why don't you enjoy it as is for a few days?"

Kurt jokingly grabbed his head. "Great, now I'm going to worry about male patterned baldness. When did you start losing your hair? I want to know when to start freaking out."

Burt grabbed Kurt and laughed lightly. "When I got a smart ass kid."

Kurt scoffed. "You mean when you had the most precious amazing kid in the world."

Burt smiled. "That too."

Kurt leaned into his dad and let the silence settle around them. The cold seemed to barely touch the pair of them as they watched the bare trees sway. Kurt felt warm and calm there with his father.

"The first time your mom dragged me here was on our second date. Her old man used to bring her out here to watch the deer that came through for food. She loved it. She used to bring apples out every time even if there weren't any creatures around. She just liked to feel helpful..."

Kurt let his dad's voice wash over him as he listened to him talk about his mom for the first time in years. Kurt hoped that his mom was happy wherever she was. She hoped that she was proud of him, and he wondered what would have been different with her still here. But one thing Kurt knew was that Burt couldn't have been a better dad if he'd tried. He was a very lucky boy.


	34. Chapter 34

No Betaing, Sorry all the mistakes are mine

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As Kurt watched the stores pass his window from the passenger side of this dad's truck, Kurt let the familiar smells and sounds roll over him. His dad has one of his 80's cds playing and Kurt could smell a hint of motor oil that always stuck to the seats no matter how many car fresheners he put in the truck. Kurt could feel the vibration of the car as it went over the many potholes and the cracks that had not been fill since the cold winter. It was wonderfully silent.

Burt had told stories about Kurt's mom for the better part of an hour before his usually reserved manner came over him. Kurt wanted so much to tell his dad about everything that was happening to him but a little part of him was scared that he had already burdened his dad so much with what was going on right now. Kurt knew everyone had said that it wasn't his fault that there was a mad man after him but the crazed homophobe wouldn't be after him if he wasn't gay. Or maybe it was that he was so proudly gay.

Kurt knew he should open up to his dad but he was too tired to deal with his dad's worries about dating another boy. Kurt knew his dad had said he was okay with him being gay but what about all the times he had said that he didn't want Kurt to date until he was thirty. Was that a joke or was it a subtle hint that Burt was still not ready for the reality of having a gay child? Also Kurt didn't know what he was going to do with Noah. He knew Noah seemed to so sincere about dating him, but this was also the same guy who had been running a pool business and sleeping with the women who hired him. Kurt knew that Noah was his rock right now but what if he became too much for the other boy? What if after a few dates Noah realized how crazy Kurt had become and even the sweet memories he had of Kurt from when they were little was not enough for Noah to stick around? Also Kurt knew that Noah loved girls. What if Noah decided that girls were just better that guys and he dumped Kurt? Was it really something that he wanted to tell his dad about so Burt would be mad at Noah for realizing how much of a mess he was?

Kurt clutched his phone. His fingers itched to call Noah just to listen to the teen's voice hoping that he could calm Kurt down from this panic attack. Only the knowledge that he was going to see the taller boy in a few minutes stopped Kurt from calling him and that was only by a thin margin.

"Kurt... Kurt."

Kurt jerked up in his seat and looked at his dad to see Burt looking at him very concerned.

"Are you okay?" Burt asked as they turned into the parking lot of the gym.

Kurt nodded as he unbuckled his seatbelt but before he could open his door his dad stopped him.

"Are you sure you want to go to class? I mean I don't know anything about these people and I know that your friend Noah works here but if you don't feel comfortable here we can find somewhere else for you to take class." Burt said as he started to move his hand off of Kurt. "I think you should take defense but I want you to feel save and you haven't said two words since we started over here."

Kurt shook his head. "Mac and Jesse are amazing, dad. I'm just kind of in a weird head space."

Burt frowned a little. "I understand that but we could just come on Wednesday if you wanted."

Kurt paused. He knew that Noah wanted to go on a date with him after class on Wednesday and though it seemed so far in the future right now it was better to ask so his dad could get ready for it. "Dad, I was wondering if me and Noah could hang out together on Wednesday."

Burt seemed confused by what Kurt had said. "Doesn't mohawk teach class here?"

Kurt nodded and started to pick at the hem of his shirt. "Yes but I was hoping that just the two of us could hang out after class."

Burt shook his head immediately. "Kurt, I know this might seem overprotective but I don't think you should hang out with Noah by yourself for a while."

"But dad..."

Burt interrupted. "I'm not saying he's not a good kid or anything but think of what Noah would go through if Nelson came after him. This guy doesn't seem to be running on all cylinders as it is, I just wouldn't feel right about letting some kid get into his crosshairs. It's bad enough that I let you stay with him and his family yesterday when I was helping the police. If anything happened to him or his family, I don't know how I would feel."

Kurt felt his whole body go stiff. That was exactly what he was trying to tell Noah. This was not a good idea. He couldn't let his feeling for his oldest best friend be the reason that Noah got hurt. After a few beats, Kurt nodded. "You're right dad."

Burt sigh and grabbed Kurt close. "I know this is tough on you but one day when you grow up and get out of this town like you want to, you'll be able to live the life you should have and find someone who loves you almost as much as I do. I know life here for a boy who is unique as you is hard but I'm doing the best that I can Kurt. I'm sorry for how it's all turning out."

Kurt clutched his dad as close as he could while he tried not to cry. He knew his dad was trying and he knew he should be more grateful for everything that he had but after the ups and downs of the last few days, Kurt just felt so raw. He was an exposed nerve and everything felt sharp and painful to him. He just wanted to heal.

After a few minutes, Kurt pulled away. He knew that Noah wouldn't give up on his date until he realized how much of a mess Kurt was. He also knew that his dad wasn't going to let him out of his sight without a fight. This meant that Kurt had to either give up on his chance with Noah or make sure that the other teen knew how worried he was about this whole dating thing was scaring him. Kurt didn't find it fair that the only bright spot of the last few days started to become one of the more frightening parts of it as well. He was being pulled towards Noah because he was the safest part of Kurt's life right now but he felt like everything around him was trying to take Noah away from him.

Kurt opened the door and started to walk to the gym. He heard his dad follow him and soon felt his dad's hand on his shoulder. Idly Kurt wondered how long it was going to be until Burt started to pull away from him again. Kurt shook his head. He felt like such a mess today.

As soon as Kurt entered the door, he was grabbed into a hug by Noah. Not that Kurt could see who it was but after two days of being surrounded by the the light musk and old newspaper smell that clung to Noah, Kurt could pick up his scent anywhere.

"Are you okay, princess?" Noah whispered into his ear.

Kurt shivered and moved closer to the larger boy. He was not okay. He felt like he was being pulled apart. Kurt felt a hand on his back and jerk around while staying in Noah's protective hold. Kurt turned to see Jesse standing next to him looking clearly upset and Mac right behind him. He noticed his dad glaring at the large men that seemed to be enclosing his son in a circle and Kurt felt a nervous giggle erupt from his lips. He could almost feel the annoyance that his dad was emoting.

He gently pulled himself from Noah's arms and moved over to his dad. "Dad, this is Jesse and his partner Mac. They run the gym."

Jesse stepped up to his dad and offered his hand. "Nice to meet you. Kurt is a good kid."

Burt nodded as he shook Jesse's hand but his eyes were glued on Mac. Not that Kurt could blame him. Kurt knew that Mac was not as much as hard ass as he seemed but he was still intimidating.

Mac put his hand out as soon as Burt let go of Jesse's. "Name's Sean. The boys call me Mac and that's mostly Jesse's fault."

Jesse nudged Mac. "You love your nickname. What did the little squirt call you?"

Mac let go of Burt's hand and turned to his partner. "Mac attack."

Jesse snaked an arm around Mac's waist as he spoke. "I couldn't figure out if it was a command or just his little crush."

Noah groaned. "Kill me now."

Kurt felt his spirits lift a little from the banter. He glanced at his dad who motioned him closer.

Burt turned and leaned in close to his son. "Are they partners or partners?"

Kurt smiled. He knew that the pair of very private man were being obvious if his dad could see what was going on and that meant that they were doing it on purpose. "Both."

Burt looked a little bewildered then relieved. "Oh."

Kurt nodded.

Mac spoke up. "Hey Kurt, go and help the kid help set up while me and Jesse talk to your dad for a little while." Kurt nodded as his dad followed Jesse and Mac into their office. As soon as the adults had closed the door after them, Noah pulled Kurt into another hug. After a few seconds, Noah questioned Kurt. "How are you really doing?"

Kurt shrugged. He didn't want to talk about what was going on in his head yet. He was so confused. "Not great..." He looked up at Noah. "I... I did try to talk to my dad..." Kurt glanced at the door and even though it was shut he whispered the rest of the sentence "... about us."

Noah's eyebrow raised but he didn't say anything.

Kurt felt guilty but continued. "He doesn't want me to go anywhere without him for a while."

Noah eased away from Kurt. "Did you tell him that it was a date?"

Kurt shook his head. "Dad won't like it. He doesn't want me to date until I'm thirty." Kurt sighed and rubbed his head. "I think he's okay with the idea that I'm gay as long as I don't actually date boys."

Noah snorted. "Than how are you gay?"

Kurt shrugged as he moved to lean against a wall. He felt like he was about to collapse from exhaustion. "Are you sure about this, Noah? I mean you can see I'm a mess and my dad is clearly an overprotective dad and though I love him he might not be so happy with anyone who dates his little boy. And he owns guns. And there is a crazy man after me and you like girls and I'm not anything special and you could do better..."

Before anything else could stream out of Kurt's mouth, he felt Noah's hand cover it. "Princess, this better be lack of food and sleep getting to you because I thought we talked about all of this... Well, everything except your dad." Noah moved so he sat next to Kurt. "I still want to try this but I'm not forcing you. Do you want to date me or not?"

Kurt looked over to the ernest face of the boy who seemed to be too good to be true. "I do, Noah. It's the only happy thought in my messed up head right now. I just don't want you to leave me because you realize you don't want me anymore. I don't think I can stand to loose you."

Noah took Kurt's hand in his and laced his fingers together. "You won't."

Kurt leaned against Noah. "Can we wait a little bit to tell my dad? I don't want you to get shot before our first date."

Noah smirked. "You just want to get another kiss." Noah sighed as he continued. "We can wait if you want."

Kurt looked at Noah. "And everyone else?"

Noah glared lightly. "Kurt..."

Kurt interrupted. "Just until Nelson is caught. I won't date you if I think you're in danger Noah. I just can't get it out of my head that you could get hurt because of me."

Noah grabbed Kurt's chin. "None of this is your fault. Get that through your head." Noah looked at Kurt and a beat later he nodded. "We'll wait."

Kurt curled into Noah as much as he could. "Best-soon-to-be-boyfriend-ever." Kurt closed his eyes as he heard Noah chuckle. He felt his body relax even as he heard the door open and the sound of kids running in. He didn't even fight it as he felt Noah lay him down on the floor and put something soft under his head. Surround by the happy noises of the kids play fighting, Kurt just curled up on floor.


	35. Chapter 35

All mistakes are mine. Sorry.

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Kurt watched the kids from Noah's class start to stretch and decided maybe his dad was right about it being too much for today. He didn't feel up to pretending that he knew what he was doing. Also he would have rather worked with Mac than with the class. Mac had tailored the class for him last week. Kurt sighed. He couldn't believe that it was just last week when this whole thing stated. This nightmare felt like it had been going on forever. Kurt sat up and pulled his knees to his chest. Why was all the good from the last few weeks so overpowered by the bad? It wasn't fair. Kurt got up and walked to the office.

When he went in, he saw his dad was in the chair opposite Mac and his desk while Jesse was sitting on the bench. Kurt walked over to the bench. Before he could get comfortable, he was pulled by Jesse towards himself. The slim man moved Kurt until he was tucked next to him and kept his arm around his waist. Kurt didn't feel like protesting. He was so tired and the overprotectiveness everyone was demonstrating was so comforting. He needed it right now to make sure not everyone in the world was against him. Kurt half listened to what the adults were saying. He knew that they were talking about him but considering his dad was vetoing anything he thought was somewhat unsafe, he knew his opinion would mean very little to the group.

Kurt felt Jesse shake his lightly. What he looked to the blonde, Jesse gestured to his dad. Kurt looked over to Mac and his dad. They were both looking at him closely. Kurt wondered what he has missed.

Burt seemed to understand that Kurt was confused. "Sean offered to teach you self-defense one on one rather than with the class. Do you want that?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, Mac might be a little tough on me but I understood his class better than Noah's." Kurt tensed for a second. He shouldn't be saying that about Noah in front of his bosses or his dad. Noah was really good with the kids.

Before Kurt could speak, Mac interrupted. "That's because I just had to worry about you and Noah has a whole herd of kids to cater to. I would let Noah teach you but he had his classes, school, glee and family to worry about. I don't want to pile on any extra responsibly onto him." Mac turned to Burt. "I know that Noah seems like a little punk most of the time but he is probably one of the most responsible people I know. He has been working at least two jobs ever since he had been able to, he takes care of his little sister whenever his mom is too busy and he never says no to lending a helping hand to anyone in need."

Kurt felt his face warm. He knew that Mac and Jesse had probably heard about the new development in his and Noah's relationship but it was little odd hearing all the praise for his boyfriend. Kurt smiled a little hesitant smile. He had a boyfriend.

Nodding, Burt spoke. "I know mo… I mean Noah is a good kid but I'm just worried about what that guy would do to him and Kurt if they were seen together. Nelson put his brother in the hospital and his brother's boyfriend is dead. I'm going crazy trying to protect Kurt from that psycho and I don't want Ella to feel this way."

Mac nodded seeming to completely agree with Burt's idea of locking Kurt up forever. It looked like that date Noah wanted to take him on was going to have to wait indefinitely. Kurt slumped against Jesse. It was the one thing that Kurt was looking forward to this week.

"I don't think that's fair to Kurt or his friends." Jesse said. He stood up and walked over next to Mac. "Look, I'm not trying to tell you how to raise your kid but if Kurt is anything like I was when I was his age, he'll be okay with this for about a minute and rebel." Jesse glared at Kurt. "Not that I'm saying that you should go against your dad. He's looking out for you and he's worried but…" Jesse turned back to Burt. "He's a kid. He needs his friends. Noah will protect him and I heard that the police are watching Noah's family already because he's so close to Kurt."

Burt glared at Jesse, then sighed. "I just can't let him out of my sight." Burt motioned Kurt to come to him. Kurt got up and walked over to the chair that his dad was in. Burt grabbed his son and pulled him into a hug. "I do trust you and your friends but just give me a few days to relax."

Kurt nodded. He could understand what his dad was going through. Kurt wrapped himself around his dad cling to the older man.

After he was buried in his dad's chest, he heard Jesse speak. "Maybe you should start coming to defense class with Kurt. Not that you need it but Kurt does."

Kurt felt his dad's hand going up and down his back. "I think that sounds good."

Relaxing to this dad's lap, Kurt let the sound of his dad, Jesse and Mac wash over him. He knew that nothing could hurt him here. Mac had changed the subject from Kurt to some of the local sports teams. There was nothing that made Kurt start to zone out than his dad going on and on about sports. Sure, he was on the football team but his dad had a team for every season. It was a wonder that Kurt was ever able to have the TV since something was always on.

Kurt didn't know how much time had passed but he heard Noah speak. "The munchkins are gone for the night. Is there anything else you need me to do, Mac?"

Kurt turned to see Mac shake his head. Jesse had moved to lead against the table next to Mac closer to Kurt and his dad. Jesse spoke. "Nope. Any plans?"

Noah replied. "Yeah, I have to go to the diner for a few hours. There is a shortage tonight."

"It's a school night." Mac stated.

Noah moved to stand next to Jesse. He shrugged. "Barb needs help."

Mac growled lightly. "Noah."

Noah sighed. "Yeah, Mac?"

The room started to get tense. Burt pushed Kurt off his lap. "We'll be outside."

Kurt and his dad went out of the office and shut the door behind them. They could hear the argument in the office.

Burt raised an eyebrow at the raised voices. Kurt just shrugged. "Mac and Jesse are the closest thing that Noah has to a dad. I mean his dad left him about when mom died."

Nodding, Burt walked around the gym. The door suddenly opened. Kurt vaguely remembered the man from a few weeks ago. Apparently there was going to be a fight night tonight. Burt looked surprised. "Mark? What are you doing here?"

Mark walked up to Burt and shook his hand. "Hey, Burt. I'm here for fight night."

Burt looked at Kurt confused and a little worried. "Fight night?"

"A few of us who have some fight experience just come for goof around. Mostly it's just to get some exercise." Mark shrugged and started to stretch. "Are you joining? I remember you were pretty good at wrestling back in the day."

Burt shook his head. "My kid is getting some defense classes. Kurt come here." Kurt moved over next to his dad. "This is my buddy Mark. We were on the wrestling team together. He was our star."

Mark put his hand out. "Nice to meet you, Kurt. You look a lot like your dad."

Kurt was taken aback most people say he looked like his mom. "Really?"

Mark smiled. "Yeah, the hair and the smile. I'm sure that you'll be as tall as him in the next few years. I mean he was a bean pole back in the day too. You wrestle too?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, sir. I'm the kicker for the football team."

Mark smiled and nodded. "So you're the reason why we aren't losing every game."

Looking at the ground, Kurt shrugged. "The team is pretty good. I mean our quarterback and linebackers are awesome."

"Yeah but it was your points that push us over a few times so don't minimize what you do." Mark said.

Before Kurt could reply, the door opened and Mark moved to say hello to the new arrivals. Kurt looked at his dad and saw the pride in his eyes. Kurt smiled shyly. It was nice that his dad was proud of something he did. His dad had been showing his softer side to Kurt more today than he had in a long time.

Noah came out of the office looking a little mad but mostly upset. Jesse had his arm over the teen with Mac following him. The older men started to say hello to the people coming in as Noah shrugged Jesse's arm off of him. The teen walked over to Kurt and his dad.

"I need to get out of here." Noah stated as he grabbed Kurt in a quick hug and started to move out the door.

Before Noah could get far, Burt spoke. "Kurt and I didn't have any dinner. I was thinking Barbara's would be fine tonight."

Noah froze for a second and turned to look at Kurt and his dad. He looked a little hopeful. "Could Kurt come with me?"

Kurt looked at his dad. Burt nodded at the pair. Kurt hugged his dad. "Thanks." Kurt whispered.

Burt laughed lightly. "I'm not heartless. I just worry."

Kurt and Burt let go of each other and moved out of the door with Noah. Kurt quickly got into Noah's car. He really wanted to talk to Noah since the teen was so upset. Noah got in the car as Kurt heard his dad shout that he would be following them. Kurt shook his head at his dad's overprotectiveness. Not that he faulted him but he had wanted to spend time with Noah.

After Noah started the car and backed out, Kurt moved over to sit right next to him. He knew he should be more discreet but Noah seemed to need the support. Noah wrapped his arm around Kurt and sighed. "Sorry, it's nothing big but Mac was worried about how much I was taking on. He tried to give me some extra money and I got pissed. I mean I get good grades, I'm on the football team, and I work two jobs, what more does he want."

Kurt shrugged. "Maybe he wants you to relax. You look so tired. I know it's mostly my fault."

"Shut it, princess. None of this is your fault." Noah sighed. "I just thought I should get some recognition that I work so hard."

Kurt laughed. "Mac talked you up like crazy in front of my dad. He's just worried about you."

Noah nodded. "I know but sometimes I think he worries too much. I mean I'm an adult."

Understanding where Noah was coming from, Kurt nodded. It was quiet for a little while, until Kurt spoke. "So dad might not let me out of his sight for a while so I don't know when our date will actually be."

Noah groaned. "That just isn't fair. I just want to take you out on a date."

"Maybe we can do mini-dates. I mean dad did just let us drive in the same car to the diner." Kurt shrugged.

Noah huffed. "And how many of these will equal one date?"

Grinning at Noah's childish behavior, Kurt replied. "Add this ride, the team dinner and the weekend at your house. I guess with all the mini pseudo dates, I could say that the end of this ride might be a full date. If that's what you want."

Noah shook his head. "I promised you a real date."

It was Kurt's turn to sigh. "Noah, I know we haven't been on a real date but honestly I don't know when we could go on one. I mean I already think of you are my boyfriend. If the last few days has done anything, it's proved that you do prioritize me and care for me. What else is a date for?"

"Are you sure?" Noah asked softly as he pulled into the parking lot.

"I'm seriously rethinking ever saying that to you. I mean you are like a dog with a bone about this dating thing. And it's my first kiss. I think I should be the one who decides when I should kiss you. It's not fair." Kurt could almost feel himself pout.

He looked at Noah who was smiling indulgently at him.

"Noah, give me something good to think about tonight?" Kurt said softly.

Noah laughed. "I think a parking lot where your dad just pulled up in the spot next to us isn't the best place to do that but you are tempting as hell."

As if he knew that they were talking about him, Burt knocked on the window next to Kurt. Kurt opened the window a little annoyed at his dad for making Noah right and interrupting. "Hey dad, we'll be in soon."

Burt looked at the two teens and nodded. "Five minutes."

Noah nodded as Burt moved away from the car and into the diner.

Kurt looked at Noah. He turned to face the larger boy. "So Noah Puckerman, it's put up or shut up time."

Noah's head fell back as laughed. "You are the most ridiculous person I know."

Kurt moved his hand and hesitantly rested it on Noah's cheek. Noah grabbed the hand and kissed palm. Kurt shuddered at the feel of the warm lips touching his palm. Kurt felt Noah's other hand go to the nape of his neck and gently pulled him forward until they were millimeters apart. He could feel Noah's breath on his lips. Kurt looked into Noah's eyes for a few second. Noah's eyes were almost black and intense. Kurt closed his eyes and leaned in for his first official kiss.


	36. Chapter 36

All mistakes are mine. Sorry that is took so long to update. I want to thank everyone who is still reading this story and leaving reviews. The guilt is the only reason why I keep on writing so thank you.

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The knocking at Noah's window made both of the boys jump back. They looked to see Officer Willis looking at them with a frown on his face. He gestured Noah to roll down his window. Kurt was mortified. He hadn't even done anything yet and he was being stopped by the police and by an officer he actually knew.

Noah sighed as he rolled down the window. "Hello, Officer Willis, sir."

Noah's politeness had no effect on Officer Willis. If anything, he looked more upset. "What do you two boy think you are doing?"

Kurt answered. "We were just talking."

Officer Willis's cocked an eyebrow in clear disbelieve. "I think I can tell talking when I see it and you usually do it farther than a few inches away from each other."

Noah shook his head before he confessed. "Kurt and me are seeing each other, sir."

Officer Willis nodded. "And I'm guess that you haven't told anyone yet."

Shaking his head, Noah answered. "Sir, my mom and sister know."

Officer Willis shifted his attention to Kurt. "And your dad?"

"I haven't told him yet." Kurt looked down at his hands as he spoke.

He heard Officer Willis sigh. "Kurt, son, you can't keep a secret like this from your dad especially if it means that your putting yourself and Puck in danger. If it had been Nelson who tapped on your window instead of me, you both would have been a world of trouble. Think about how your families would have thought of that."

Kurt nodded but didn't concede his argument. "But dad is already stressed out already."

Officer Willis retorted. "Think about how upset your dad was about finding out the bullying after everyone else. As a father, I know that must have stung. I want my kids to come me when they are in trouble so I can help them. I don't want to find out that I was the only person who didn't know what was going on in their lives. I sure as heck want them to come to me when they have good news." He paused for a second. "Dating a boy is good news, isn't?" Officer Willis waited for Kurt to nodded before continuing. "Does your dad like Puck?" Kurt nodded again. "Then there is no reason not to tell him. Why don't you boys get out of the truck so we can go into the diner? Your dad wanted to talk to me about the case while we have some dinner."

Kurt and Noah took the question as the order that it was and got out of the truck. They went into the diner with Officer Willis following close behind. Kurt's dad had gotten a booth in the corner without anyone seated at the tables near it. Kurt was sure that he had done that so they could talk about the case without anyone trying to listen in but now it seemed like it was going to serve another purpose. Kurt sat next to his dad as Noah sat kitty corner from Kurt with Officer Willis in front of Kurt. Burt had been looking at the menu but after seeing the odd looks the rest of the table was throwing each other, he set down the menu. "What's up?" He asked as he pointedly looked at Officer Willis.

Officer Willis gestured to Kurt with a nod. "The boys have something to tell you. Kurt?"

Kurt was horribly upset. He didn't want to be forced to tell his dad about dating Noah by anyone. He wanted to keep it between the people who already knew. It wasn't fair that he was being pushed into this. Kurt tried to stop the horrible images of his dad yelling at him or being disgusted out of his head but it wasn't working. He just want to get up and run out of the diner. Kurt felt his dad put an arm over his shoulder and draw him near. "What's wrong, kid?"

Kurt tired to hold back the tears. "I'm dating Noah." Kurt blurted out. He clapped his hand over his mouth as soon as he said it. Kurt closed his eyes so he didn't have to look at his dad. His dad had always said Kurt couldn't date until he was in his thirties. Kurt knew it was partially a joke but he wonder how much of it was that his dad still wasn't comfortable having a gay son. Kurt tried to keep all the talking about boys to a minimum around his dad and now he just blurted out that he was dating Noah.

"And?" Kurt heard his father say.

Kurt's head whipped up to look at his dad. "And?" Kurt parroted.

Burt furrowed his eyebrows. "You do know that I was a teenager once, right? I think I can tell when two people are interested in each other. If you don't remember, I asked you a few times about what was going on with you and Mohawk and you said it was nothing."

Kurt's jaw dropped a little. How had his dad known before him? "It was nothing. We haven't even been on a date yet. I didn't even know Noah liked me until Sunday morning."

Burt shook his head. "Kid, there were many many signs that you liked Mohawk and the other way around too." Burt looked away from Kurt for a second and turned to Officer Willis. "I just don't know how you know."

Officer Willis had relaxed back. "I caught them in the parking lot necking."

Kurt could feel his cheeks heat up. "We weren't necking. We almost kissed. That's it." He turned to his dad. "But we didn't."

Burt turned to glare at Noah. "You got anything to say."

Noah was sitting straight in the booth trying not to cause any attention to himself. "Nope. I think princess's got it all taken care of."

Kurt was now glaring at Noah as well. "Thanks."

Noah smiled at Kurt. "You're welcome."

Burt looked back and forth from Noah to Kurt. "Did either of you think that it might not be the best time to be making out in a truck where a crazy person could see you? I mean I already am having fits just thinking about how to keep Kurt safe."

Noah nodded. "I know it wasn't smart. I'm sorry."

Burt looked over to Kurt. "Was this why you asked if you could hang out with Noah earlier?"

Kurt could feel his cheeks redden. "Yes."

Burt snorted. "Well, I don't mind but I am still saying that you have to be with an adult."

Kurt huffed. "Dad, this isn't the Victorian era."

Officer Willis intervened on Burt's behalf. "I don't think your dad wants to stop you from going out with Puck but Nelson did take down two adult males. I agree with your dad that you two should stick to crowded areas if you are going on dates and for Christ's sake don't pull anything like you did earlier."

Kurt looked down at the table as he nodded. "Yes, sir."

Office Willis nodded. "Now that that's settled, I think you two can go eat at another table so me and your dad can talk about what's happening."

Kurt got up without a word and went to the table just behind Officer Willis. A few seconds later, Noah slide into the bench opposite of him. There was silence until the waitress came and took their orders. Finally, Noah let out big sigh. "Shouldn't we be happy that your dad is okay with us?"

Kurt's head snapped up as he looked at the football player. "Are you joking? I'm thrilled that dad's okay about it. A little shocked but thrilled."

Noah frowned. "Then what's with the silent treatment."

Kurt blushed a little. "I'm a little horrified that Berry's dad caught us almost making out in front of the diner and I'm getting yelled at for something we didn't even technically do."

Noah shrugged. "Not the worse thing that I've been caught doing."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I don't even want to know."

"Aww, princess. Did I upset your delicate tendencies?" Noah smiled wickedly. "I know you want to know what I want to do to you."

Kurt knew that his face was as red as a tomato. "Noah!" Kurt whispered harshly.

Noah looked at Kurt innocently. "I was just talking about kissing. You have a dirty mind, princess."

Kurt laughed as the food came to the table. The two boys spent the rest of the meal bantering back and forth much like their first night eating together at the diner. The dinner was quick since Noah had to get to work but when Kurt went back to his dad's side, Burt had his wallet out to pay his bill. The day had caught up with Kurt and he slowly followed his dad out of the diner after he waved goodbye to Berry's dad.

As the two started to drive away from the diner, Burt spoke. "Why didn't you tell me what was going on?"

Kurt was silent for a moment as thought about what to say. Most of his reasons would hurt his dad. "I was scared you won't let me."

Burt sighed. "Kurt, I knew there was something going on between the two of you since last week when your car was destroyed. Noah wouldn't let you out of his sight and you got a little anxious if he wasn't in yours. I even asked you about it."

Kurt shrugged. "But you always say I'm not allowed to date. I thought you couldn't handle having a gay kid. I mean how many time have you said to give you a few more years before I date. I mean I can't even talk about boys in front of you."

Burt ran a hand over his face. "Kurt, I was joking. I knew you were gay from the time you were three."

Kurt shook his head. "No, you seemed upset every time I mentioned a guy who I thought was cute."

Sighing, Burt pulled into the parking lot of the hotel that Kurt and him were staying in. "Why don't we go in and talk about this?"

Kurt followed his dad into their hotel room and sat down on his bed. Kurt felt the bed dip next to him.

"Kurt, it has nothing to do with you being gay and more to do with being replaced. I mean if I had a daughter I would have acted the same way." Burt stated.

Kurt huffed. "I'm not a girl."

Putting his hands up in surrender, Burt continued. "I know that. I was there when you were born and the doctors declared that you were a boy. I was also the one who helped with diapers and showers when you were a baby so I know." Burt lowered his arms and threw one over Kurt's shoulder. "It's just that I've been the main guy in your life since you were a babe. It's hard thinking that someone is going to come in and take that job away from me. It's been my favorite since that first day where you were all red and screaming your head off." Burt squeezed Kurt closer to him. "I just don't want to loose you, kid."

Kurt smiled at his dad. That made a lot of sense. Really, wasn't that the reason why Kurt didn't like Finn right now? Well, that and the foot-in-mouth disease. "I can understand that."

Burt grinned. "Now tell me why I have to let mohawk date you."

Kurt giggled. "Are you always going to call him that?"

Letting go of Kurt, Burt moved so he was seated with his back against the backboard of Kurt's bed. "When he gets rid of the haircut, we'll talk."

Kurt moved so he was right next to his dad. "Well, he's been one of the few people who seems to be almost as overprotective as you are. He's got straight A's, is on the football team, and glee. He's working two jobs so he can help out his mom."

Burt nodded. "What about him getting that girl pregnant?"

Cringing, Kurt replied. "Not one of his better moments, but he is willing to take care of his child when she is born."

Burt frowned. "He's in high school. Doesn't he want to go to college? Taking care of a kid is a lot of responsibility."

"He's done it before. Santana told me that he basically raised his little sister."

Burt retorted. "But he was helping his mom. If he wants to go to college, he has to think about who would take care of the kid while he's at school. On the subject, how do you feel about dating a guy who is about to be a dad? If he really is that serious about keep his kid, you might not be the center of his attention all the time. You would have to understand if he had to cancel dates because they are sick or had a nightmare. For the first few months, he won't be getting much sleep and might not be as energetic as he is right now. He'll be distracted and jumpy. He might even drop football and glee so he can work more hours. How would you deal with coming second in his life?"

Kurt didn't have any answers to those questions. Sure, he knew that Noah wanted to keep the baby but what would that mean for the two of them? Right now, that baby was just a concept but in a few months, Noah was going to be a dad with all the responsibilities that came with it.

Burt seemed to understand that his son was at a loss for words. "Kurt, if you want to be with Noah, I think he's a good kid but you are going to have to grow up quickly if you stay with him. Kids get attached quickly and I have to say it's easy to get attached to kids in turn. If you decide to date Noah, you might be signing up for more than just dating a teenaged jock and I don't know if you are ready for that."

Kurt frowned. "I don't know if I am either."

"I'm not saying you have to decide now, Kurt." Burt said as looked at the terrified look on Kurt's face. "I'm just saying it's something to think about. And really, you never really are prepared for a kid until they're in front of you." Burt stared up at the ceiling with a fond look on his face. "I remember the night your mom said that she was in labor. I think that was the first time that I realized that I was going to be a dad."

Kurt grinned. "Dad, I've seen the pictures of mom pregnant with me. How could you not tell?"

Burt laughed. "Smart ass. I meant that I knew that I was going to be a dad but it always seemed like something far into the future. Sure, we got your room ready and your mom's baby bump just kept getting bigger but until she said that she had to go to the hospital, I knew we were having a baby, I just didn't KNOW we were having a baby. I ran to the car with her suitcase and almost pulled off her arm getting her to the car. Your mom was laughing hysterically at me the whole time. When we got to the hospital, I tried to do everything that they told me in the classes that we took but half of it just flew out of my head the second your mom was in pain. A few hours later, I was holding you and I had no idea where you came from." Burt looked fondly at Kurt. "I don't think I've even been more excited and terrified in my life as I was holding you in my arms for the first time. You were all red and wrinkly. Your eyes were shut tight and all I could see was your face from all the blankets that they wrapped you in so you were warm. I sat in the chair next to your mom's bed and counted all your fingers and toes over and over again until your mom told me that you were getting cold. I remember the nurse kept coming into the room and telling me that I should put you down to sleep but I couldn't let go of you. Your mom just laughed and finally told the nurse that she should just let us be since you and me were bonding. I didn't let you go unless your mom wanted to hold you the whole time you two were in the hospital."

Kurt leaned into his dad's shoulder as he listened to the older man speak.

"I think it's that first time holding a baby that gets you. Kids are smart that way. You fall completely in love with them in less than a heart beat. They become your world." Burt kissed Kurt's forehead. "I don't think I could love anyone as much as I love you Kurt but I want you to understand that Noah will feel the same way for that baby he's going to have and if you are with him for the long haul, you will probably fall in love with that baby, too. That kid will turn your life upside down and mostly in good ways but are you really ready to be a parent at sixteen?"

Kurt replied softly. "I have no idea."


	37. Chapter 37

All mistakes are mine and I want to say that I do love writing at times it's hard to focus on one story. The reviews make it so I can't ignore this piece so thank you for all of them. Also according to my computer, this story has now gone over three hundred pages so thank you for sticking with me and this story.

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Despite all of the questions that were swimming through Kurt's mind, he fell asleep quickly that night. The next morning, he awoke before his alarm went off and started to get ready quickly so his dad could have a chance at the bathroom before they left. His dad took some persuading but he eventually got out of bed and into a quick shower. Kurt took the downtime to text Noah. Kurt had no idea what to say about what his dad had told him last night. He was right that Kurt never thought about how the baby was going to effect Noah or his life in the long run. In fact, Kurt never even thought he was going to have kids without a long adoption procedure or finding a surrogate. After a quick good morning to Noah, Kurt put down his phone and really thought about what might happen when the baby came. Kurt knew that there was a slim chance that Noah would give up his rights as a father and let the baby be adopted by someone else. He could see Quinn going down that path but not Noah with all his abandonment issues. He would want to prove that he was a better dad than his own dad. Kurt could totally see Noah staying up late at night singing songs to make the baby fall asleep. He could picture Noah teaching the kid how to defend themselves and play football. Noah was probably going to be one of those hover parents who would know everything about their child but somehow managed not to smother them.

But what about himself? Kurt had no idea. He never was around little kids for more than a few minutes. Heck, Sarah and the kids at defense class were the most he interacted with kids since he was one. Kurt knew that he had fun hanging out with them but being a parent was completely different. There was no one to hand the kids off to at the end of the day. It was a twenty-four hours a day job with no end in sight. It also meant that he had to be selfless because everything would be about the kid. The selfless part wasn't as big of a problem as most people would think when they first met Kurt. He loved taking care of other people but this would a full time situation. That was if Noah wanted Kurt in his child's life. Kurt felt his whole body tense. After all, Noah never said anything about the baby to Kurt other than what he said in regards to Finn and Quinn. He never said that he would want Kurt to be a part of his son's or daughter's life. Kurt was just assuming that since Noah seemed so serious about their relationship right now that Noah wanted this for the long term. What if this was just something that Noah wanted until he became a father?

Before Kurt's thoughts could turn even more confused, Burt came out of the bathroom dressed and ready to go. "What's with the long face so early in the morning?"

Kurt shrugged. "I'm just thinking about what you said last night."

Burt put a hand on Kurt's head and started to play with his hair. "Kurt, I told you that as something to think about. I didn't want you to decided about what to do in one night. I just didn't want you to go into this relationship blind. Sure, it's a big decision but you and mohawk haven't even gone on a date yet. Just take it slow and talk about what you both want. If you find out it isn't for you, talk to him before you commit yourself to something more than you can handle."

"You're right." Kurt said with a small smile. "There's no use borrowing trouble. Plus, I don't know if Noah wants to keep the baby for sure."

Burt nodded. "It is a big responsibility and from what you said he seems determined to make a life for himself. A kid at the wrong time can hamper some of those chances that he has."

Kurt nodded. "I know I should talk to him about it before I start jumping to conclusions but I just don't know how to approach the subject."

Burt sat down next to Kurt. "It won't be easy but I think the two of you are mature enough to have an adult conversion about what you both want from each other." Burt paused. "Do you know what you really want from him? Is this just because he's the first guy that seems as interested in you as you are in him or is it more than that Kurt?"

Kurt took a second before responding. "I know that it's more than just wanting to be in a relationship with someone. Noah has really been there for me in the last few weeks. More than that, I just like talking to him and listening to his crazy stories. When he's not around, I constantly wonder what he is doing and I miss him when he is gone. I felt that way before I ever knew he liked me." Kurt turned to look at Burt. "Dad, he makes me feel safe. Not just because he's like twice my size but because I know I can tell him anything without feeling like he is judging me. I also know that he trusts me more than he trusts most people. That might be because we were friends when we were little but he tells me things that I don't think he tells other people. He trusts me, dad."

Burt nodded. "I think that sounds like the foundation of a very strong relationship."

"But do you think that's enough?" Kurt asked.

Shaking his head, Burt replied. "I can't tell you what to do about your relationship with Noah. First of all, I haven't seen you two together more than a hand full of times. Yes when I did see you together, I thought you two looked happy but just because someone sees something from the outside doesn't make it true. Secondly, you two haven't even been on a date. I think that you haven't had the time to make a decision about you want to do so it's not fair to bring me into the middle of it. Kurt, this is one of those choices that you have to make for yourself."

Kurt thought about what his dad said and knew he was right. He was jumping to conclusions and he couldn't ask anyone to make the choice whether to date Noah or not for him. He was just going to have to talk to Noah and talk things out.

Burt continued to speak. "I think you should go out on a few dates with him and see if you think this is someone you want to make a commitment to. You don't have to decided today and I don't think you should make a decision before you talk to mohawk. Now for a complete change of topic, do you want to go to school today or did you want to go shopping?"

Kurt laughed at Burt's bluntness. "Dad, the answer is always shopping."

Joining with his son's laughter, Burt started to grab his wallet, phone, and keys. "I thought so but I didn't want to take you away from your friends."

Kurt shrugged. "I want to see them but I want to spend some time with you."

"Maybe you can have that study session at Barb's tonight. You could see most of them there." Burt said.

Nodding, Kurt picked up his phone and texted Noah again. "w/dad 2day. Study session barb's?"

Burt spoke. "So do you want to go to Dayton or Toledo?"

Kurt quickly gathered his things and followed his dad out the door. "I would rather go to Toledo between the two of them but don't you think that's little far?"

Burt shrugged. "I took the next few days off from work so I have nothing else to do. Before you start worrying, Nick knows to call me if anything big happens but he can handle most of the day to day stuff. I just need to pick up some paperwork during the week and we should be fine."

Kurt knew better than to argue with his dad about work. Also, Nick had been at the shop for as long as Kurt could remember. He used to work for the people who his dad bought his first garage from. Ever since then, Nick had been Burt's right hand man. "I guess that works. Are we going to be back in time for the study session?"

Burt threw his arm over Kurt's shoulder. "Now that depends completely on you and how long you take picking out clothes... So no, we probably won't." Burt joked.

Kurt lightly punched his dad on the arm as he moved to get in the car. After the two of them were buckled in, they made the hour drive to Toledo. They argued over the radio and what was in fashion. Well, Burt argued how silly some of the outfits he had seen were and Kurt argued their merits. The whole trip was just like old times except Kurt's phone kept going off with texts from his friends. Noah had gotten the word out that he wasn't coming to school that day and that there still was a study session after school at Barb's but that didn't stop them all from individually texting him. He shared some of the funnier texts with his dad as they walked around the mall. When Kurt could see that all the shopping was wearing on his dad, he called a halt to the day. Kurt knew that shopping was still a chore for the older man and he was so happy that his dad had decided to spend the day with him doing something he disliked that Kurt didn't want to punish him by elongating the day. Plus, Kurt had gotten more than enough clothes for him to work with for a few weeks. Kurt's only regret was that he wasn't able to hit up a makeup counter. He knew that would be pushing his dad's limit for shopping. His dad always looked so lost and helpless when Kurt went up to ask for samples of the new beauty care lines.

On the way out of town, the pair grabbed some food for the road. They were going to be a little early for the study session but he had nothing else to do. He had enjoyed his day with his dad. Burt was too busy to take Kurt to the mall most of the time plus he usually wanted to something more hands on than shopping. "Hey dad, do you think we can go fishing again this year?"

Burt snorted. "Only if we don't take my buddies. I think their egos are still bruised from the last time we went with them. You would think grown men would act less childish. They swore you had some type of crazy juju working for you." Burt paused for a second. "Then again I think Mark wanted to take you on every trip he went on. He said at least he could be sure someone got a fish worth mentioning."

Kurt laughed. "I think you caught the smallest fish I ever saw on that trip."

"Hey, between the two of us we still beat everyone else's catch that day." Burt responded.

Barb's was nearly empty when they reached it. It was the middle of the afternoon so Kurt could understand why there was a lull in business. Barb greeted them as soon as they went in the door. "Well, boys, Puck called and told us that you'll be having a big group so I left some tables in the corner for you."

Kurt thanked Barb as the two of them made their way to the tables Barb pointed out. They didn't have to wait long for the football team to start streaming into the diner. They all had books in their hands and worried grins on their faces. Noah was the first to make his way to the table. He sat himself down right next to Kurt causing the smaller boy to smile. Kurt heard his dad snort as Burt got up from the table. "Now that the boys are here, I'm going to go check on the garages. I'll be back in a little bit." He looked pointedly at Noah. "You behave."

Kurt could feel his cheeks redden. Berry interrupted the conversation with his two cents. "Don't worry, Mr. Hummel. We've got his back. He won't be going anywhere without us."

Burt smiled and patted Noah on the back, hard. "I'm sure you all will keep a close eye on him for me."

Noah smiled back widely. "I won't let him out of my sight." Noah punctuated his statement by throwing an arm around Kurt and pulling him close causing Burt to laugh.

Burt messed with Noah's mohawk as he walked out of the diner. "Call me if you boys need anything. Bye Kurt."

Kurt yelled back goodbye to his dad as Berry moved to sit on the other side of him. Berry already had his math book ready to go as he got comfortable. As he wiggled, Berry pushed Kurt even closer to Noah. Kurt glanced to see Noah was smirking about what was going on. Of course, he was. This was Noah after all.

Kurt's friends filled their corner of the diner as they studied. The tables were laid out by what subjects everyone wanted to work on and it seemed to be working well. Kurt didn't move from his spot next to Noah even when someone new came in the diner for the study session. He just waved as he tried to catch up with the work he missed in the last two days. By the time dinner came around, Kurt had finished his work and was helping Berry with his math. Noah didn't move from his spot even after he finished his homework. He seemed content just watching Kurt going through problems with Berry. Every few minutes, Kurt looked at Noah as he talked to Jason who was sitting across from them. Slowly, the group trickled out of the diner. Everyone came over as they left to pat Kurt on the back or mess with his hair and tell him they were happy he came. Soon, it was just Noah and Kurt sitting at the table. The diner was filled with customer so they weren't exactly alone but the other teenagers' prying eyes were gone. Kurt texted his dad that their study group was done so he could come eat dinner with him then he turned to Noah.

Noah smiled at Kurt. "So princess, how was your day?"

Kurt shrugged with a wide grin. "My dad and I went to Toledo to shop so pretty good."

"He's a better man than me. I go nuts going to the local mall with my sister." Noah joked as he nudged Kurt.

Kurt nodded but fell silent otherwise. After a few minutes, he spoke. "So what do you have planned for tomorrow?"

Noah shook his head. "Nope. It's a surprise. I've got it all planned out. I just need an okay from your dad and our date is set."

Kurt hesitated as he tried to proceed. He knew he wanted to ask but he didn't know if he should. At the end, Kurt decided it was better to know than to be left in the dark. "I was just wondering about what is going on Quinn and the baby."

"What do you mean?" Noah asked.

Kurt shrugged as he spoke. "I mean that you want keep the baby right?"

Noah just nodded.

"Well, I guess I'm just wondering what that means for us. I mean I know that the baby will be the most important person in your life but where would we fall in all of that?" Kurt asked, worry clear in his voice.

Sighing, Noah replied. "I can't tell you what is going to happen in the future but you are right about keeping the baby. I already talked to my mom about having the baby live with us." Noah ducked his head down. "Part of the reason why I've been working so hard is to get some money together so mom doesn't have to worry about having another mouth to feed." Noah shrugged and leaned back against the back of the booth. "I know it's probably a lot to ask but I still want to see what happens between the two of us. I mean you're the first person who I ever had a crush on and by some odd chance, you turned out to be gay. I think something is pushing us together and I think it's worth it to see if we can make it. I understand if it's too much though. I get it."

Kurt looked side around the diner before discretely grabbing Noah's hand and pulling it under the table so he could hold the teen's hand while he spoke. "I don't want to break up with you. I know I've been saying that we haven't been on a real date but look at how much time we've spent together. We've been living in each other's pockets for the last few weeks. It's been amazing. I was just wondering what you want to do about the baby so I know what to expect and I kind of wanted to know what you think my role is going to be with your child. I know that's months away so you don't have to make a decision now but my dad brought up the subject last night when we were talking and it just stuck with me."

Noah squeezed Kurt's hand lightly. "What did your dad say?"

Kurt smiled at Noah. "Dad said that we didn't have to decide now. We should date and see where this is going before I start to freak out."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "You freaked out?"

Sighing, Kurt explained. "Noah, if we stay together for the long haul, the baby you are having with Quinn could someday be my child too."

Noah laughed at that. "We could be having a baby together and you won't even kiss me."

"Yup." Kurt replied with a small grin.

Noah hesitated for a second before fishing out his wallet and pulling out a black and white picture. "That's the baby." Noah said as he handed Kurt the photo. "Quinn gave it to me after her last visit to the doctor."

Kurt looked at the picture and it was a person. Kurt could see the head, the arms and the legs. The baby really did look like a little person. Kurt was in awe as he lightly followed the outline of the baby with his finger. "That's a person."

Noah smiled fondly. "I know. It kind of scares the shit out of me that they are going to be looking at me for answers when he or she gets out here but part of me is so excited about it too." Noah took the photo back and put it in his wallet. "I've always wanted a big family when I grow up, I just thought that I would be waiting a little longer to have one."

Kurt nodded as he started to understand what his dad was telling him last night. If he stayed with Noah, he wasn't just getting a boyfriend out of the deal but he was also getting a baby. Kurt closed his eyes and pictured the ultrasound from a moment before. That fragile little thing would be a part of his life, too. This might be his first relationship but could he be in charge of that little creature's first everything. "Do you want me to be part of the baby's life if you keep it?"

Noah took a deep breath in before he spot. "If you want to be then yes but if you don't, I don't know if I can be with you. I would eventually want someone who would care about my kid as much as they care about me."

Kurt nodded. "Well, I have to say the baby is very photogenic already. If he or she is half as beautiful as he or she is in that photo when he or she is born, you might need some help keeping suitors away." Kurt raised his hand to stop Noah from speaking. "I'm not saying that I am completely ready for being a part-time dad yet but I can't say I'm not willing to at least try."

Noah nodded. "Thanks."

Kurt laughed. "You don't have have to thank me for something like that. I think I'm getting the better part of the bargain. After all, you have to deal with me and a baby."

Noah just smiled fondly at Kurt as the two waited for Burt to come and eat dinner with them. Kurt's dad came in the doors few minutes later. He collapsed into the booth across from them and stretched his arms over his head. "I hate paperwork."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You say that ever time but you never get anyone else to do it."

Burt nodded as he looked at the menu. "I tried to get you to do it when you were younger."

"Then you made the mistake of teaching me how to fix cars. There is no way I'm doing the books if my other option is working on engines. There is no contest." Kurt said.

Noah interrupted. "Ummm... If you want I could do your paperwork. I mean I need the funds and I'm good with numbers."

Burt looked at Noah for a second before trying to find what he wanted on the menu. "I don't know. I have a system set up to do some of the work. I won't need you all the time."

"That's fine. I help Barb with her books sometimes when she's backed up on inventory. You can ask her for a reference if you want." Noah said as he looked down at the table.

Burt seemed to think about it for a few seconds before shrugging. "I guess the worse thing that could happen is that I have to redo your work." He pointed a finger at Noah. "If that happens, I'm not paying you."

Noah smiled. "I can handle that."

Burt put down the menu. "I just finished most of it for the next two weeks so when I get backed up, I'll have Kurt call you."

Noah nudged Kurt. "That'll be perfect."

Burt turned to Kurt. "Now why don't we order some food and I'll tell you the latest news going around the garage."

Noah and Kurt spent the rest of the night listening to Burt tell stories. When they stood to leave the diner, Burt pulled out his wallet and paid for all of them much to Noah's annoyance. Burt just shook his head. "You're still a kid and since you want to date my kid, you should be trying to save as much money as you can. The boy eats enough for two."

Noah nodded. "I have noticed that he seems to have a black hole for a stomach. Speaking about dates," Noah leaned and whispered something to Burt.

The older man looked a little skeptical for a few seconds before nodding. "That sounds like a fine plan as long as everyone is okay with it."

Noah started to bounce on his toes a little as he spoke. "Yup. I just needed to ask you to make sure you were on board."

Burt nodded.

Kurt reminded the two men that he was still there by jabbing both of them in the ribs. "You know you could just tell me."

Both Burt and Noah shook their heads but only Noah spoke. "I think you'll just have to wait until tomorrow, princess."

Kurt sighed. "Fine." Kurt was soon wrapped up in Noah's arms as the teen hugged them right in front of his truck.

Noah pulled away after a second. "I can't wait until tomorrow. Have a good night."

Burt waved goodbye as he gently pulled Kurt to their car. Kurt waved bye to Noah as the teen rush off. Burt smiled at Kurt when he finally climbed into the car. "I bet you can't wait until tomorrow."

Kurt shook his head as he watched Noah's truck disappear into the distance. "No, I really can't."


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: Un-betaed so all the mistakes are mine. Thank you for sticking with this story and posting the awesome reviews. I've come to an agreement with my brain that if I allow it to write other fiction than it will allow me to continue this one as well. Apparently, demanding it too only write Replaceable is no longer working. Hopefully with the new outlets of essentially smut that I am writing, I will be able to continue this mostly plot driven piece. I do love this fic even though it has become a beast. Thanks everyone for helping me stay motivated and keep writing.

P.S. Thanks to Renthead315 for catching that I named the wrong restaurant.

Kurt was surprised that he slept as well as he had the night before considering how excited he was about his date with Noah. Though he begged his dad for details, Burt refused to reveal anything about what was going to happen. Kurt was sure his dad was entertained by teasing him. It's not really fair since it was his first date and he was so excited by it. It made sense that he wanted to know everything that was going to happen in later today. But nothing. His dad just laughed and dropped him off at the school after telling him that he would be there to pick him and Noah after school for defense class. Kurt grumbled but knew better than to say anything against defense classes. His dad was completely behind the classes now that he met Mac and Jesse. He even was thinking about checking out the fight club after things started to settle down. In what was becoming the norm for Kurt, the entryway of the school had some of Kurt's protectors waiting for him. Kurt couldn't help but smile at the group. "Hi, everyone."

Jason was the closest to him and threw an arm over Kurt's shoulder. "Hey, 'lil K. It was cool that we had the session at Barb's last night but my mom said that we could use our place tomorrow if you want."

Kurt hesitated for few seconds. "Is your mom going to be okay with everyone coming over?"

Berry responded to Kurt's question. "We used to do a round robin for the study sessions before you joined. Your place was just too awesome to move on from."

Kurt winced at the reminder of why they couldn't work out of his house anymore. His dad had told him that it would only be a few more day until the police would be done with the house but Kurt didn't know how he would face what happened to there while they were cleaning. "I guess that would work if everyone is okay with it. I have to ask my dad though."

Jason nodded as he pulled out his phone. "I'll get the word out."

Josh slid over to Kurt's other side. "So is there anything you need? I know that you're overwhelmed but you know we are there for you right?"

Kurt couldn't help but smile at the comment. If there was anything he knew, it was that his friends, whether they were new ones from football or the old ones from glee, were there for him. "Thanks Josh." He patted Josh on the arm. "How about you tell me something happy? How was your date with Rachel?"

Josh looked away for a second. "Are you sure you want to hear about it? I mean it seems like of trivial compared to what you are going through. I am sorry about Rachel and me coming late to the diner the other night. We just got a little wrapped up in each other."

Kurt jokingly grimaced. "Ewww, heterosexual sex!"

Josh looked a little embarrassed. "We weren't doing anything like that."

Berry jumped into the conversation. "They were just temporarily attached at the face. It's happened a few time yesterday at school."

Mercedes came up next to Jason. "Attached at the face? You've got to be talking about Rachel and Josh here. It took three of us to pry them apart yesterday at the end of school."

Josh groaned to the amusement of the group. "We aren't that bad."

As if on cue, Rachel showed up and threaded her arm through Josh's. "Good morning everyone." She got on her toes and kissed Josh. "Good morning, sweetie."

Kurt snorted at the pair. He was happy for them. It was his second really successful match and they were sickening sweet. It made Kurt wonder what kind of couple him and Noah were going to be. Kurt scanned the crowd and was little sad to not find Noah. Usually it was him who walked Kurt to his first class. He also knew that if Noah wasn't here there would be a reason. Kurt sighed and walked up to this locker. He opened it to grab the few books that he had right now before he got replacements. When he grabbed them, he noticed there was a card on top of the books. He looked to either side of him and noticed that no one was really paying attention to him even though his friends were hovering behind him. Josh, Rachel and Berry were talking to each other, Jason was on his phone and Mercedes was actually talking to Azimio. Kurt wondered what that was about. This was the second time that Mercedes had acted weird when it came to Azimio. Kurt took a second to open the note and read it. It was from Noah.

"Dear Princess,

I wanted to write you a poem. Now, I did try but I couldn't put into words how I felt so I borrowed one.

'How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with a passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints, — I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! — and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.'

by Elizabeth Barrett Brown

I know you aren't the most religious but I think this poem kind of describes how I feel about you.

-Noah"

Kurt felt like he was blushing as he quickly folded the note and put it into his pocket. He tried to nonchalantly walk over to Mercedes and Azimio but all he could think about was Noah. Azimio waved at Kurt but stepped away before the kicker could get to them. He turned to Mercedes with a raised eyebrow.

Mercedes shrugged and linked her arm to Kurt's. "We go to the same church. I am good friends with his sister but he always seemed unsure of himself when he is there. I guess with how he acted outside of church, he probably didn't feel like he was really listening to God's word about loving thy neighbor."

Kurt shrugged. He knew nothing about religion really so he didn't know what to say. "So there is nothing going on between the two of you?"

Mercedes snorted at the idea. "He was a bully to you and all our friends for years. I know you have forgiven him but I don't know how to do that."

"He isn't a bad guy. I mean I think he thinks of me like a little kid that needs protecting now." Kurt stated.

Mercedes opened the door to the classroom and let Kurt go in first. "I know you are right but one of us has to be the tough one, boo and it isn't you."

Kurt wrapped his friend in a hug. "Mercedes, my little guard dog."

Mercedes laughed as she returned the hug. "Just remember by bite is just as bad as my bark."

Kurt snorted as he let go. "Sure it is." Kurt felt a little guilty as he walked back to his desk about not telling Mercedes about his date later in the day. When he thought about his first date, he had always thought that he would have be making a big deal out of it with his friends. He would spend hours talking what to wear and his make-up, whether to kiss the other boy or not, and how amazing his boyfriend was. Now because of this crazy person, he didn't feel comfortable with telling anyone. When Kurt sat down, he felt the paper folded in his pocket. He grabbed it and smoothened it out. He smiled at Noah's thoughtfulness. Okay so maybe he was going to be wearing exactly what he had on now. So he didn't have any make-up at this moment and he knew that he was going to kiss Noah. At least he also knew that his boyfriend was more amazing than he could describe.

Practice that night was the worse ever as far as Kurt was concerned. It was the last of the year so no one was really paying attention but it was also just more time between him and his date tonight. After first period, Noah had made it a point to escort him from class to class. It really wasn't that abnormal unless one realized that he was sneaking Hershey kisses into Kurt's pocket every break. Kurt was red for the beginning of each period because of Noah's hidden romantic side coming out and attacking him. The worst part was no one caught Noah doing anything. It seemed like he was teasing Kurt as if it was any other day. Kurt was the only one who realized that Noah was being more handsie than usually. Football practice was ever worse because Noah had decided that he wanted to help Kurt teach Morse how to kick even though he wasn't a kicker. At the end of practice, Noah casually draped his arm over Kurt's shoulders as they waited for Kurt's dad.

Noah was smiling widely as he spoke. "So how's your day been so far?"

"Frustrating and amazing. I think half of the team things I'm sick because I've been red all day long." Kurt half heartedly complained.

Noah just shrugged. "I don't think that they find your shade of red that troubling. They know you enough to know you are blushing. They probably thought I was telling you dirty jokes."

Kurt pulled one of the kisses that Noah gave to him out of his pocket and unwrapped it. He pushed it against Noah's lips as he blushed again. "Little do they know it's because you're such a softie."

Noah took the kiss from Kurt's fingers and smiled. "Yeah, well they would never believe you."

Before Kurt could reply, he heard his dad's car's horn beep. He turned to see his dad motioning to them to get into the car. Kurt felt the blush deepen as he walked towards his dad.

Noah let Kurt climb in first and sat behind them. "Hello, Mr. Hummel."

"Mohawk. Why is it that you and my son keep trying to make out in public?" Burt asked with a teasing voice.

Kurt was mortified. "Dad, we weren't making out. Noah and I were just talking."

Noah refused to be helpful as he said. "I don't know, Kurt. I think your dad does have point. That's at least the second time you've tried to give me kisses in public."

Kurt squeaked as he responded. "That was a chocolate kiss that you gave me."

Burt snorted as Noah and Kurt continued to banter on their way to the gym. When they arrived, Kurt and Noah got out so they could go to class but Burt stayed in the car. "Aren't you coming in, dad?"

Burt shook his head. "Not today, kid. I'll be back to pick you up though so we can drop Noah back at his car."

Kurt nodded as he walked with Noah to class. "So when is our date?"

Noah opened the door to the gym. "After class, princess. I have to make funds to pay for you."

"You know I'm not a girl. You don't always have to pay." Kurt said as he laid his backpack on the ground and started to stretch. He didn't take enough time to do it after practice today and since he was going to be working with Mac he knew it would be important to be nimble.

Noah shrugged as he started to gather things for his class. "Yeah but I want to at least be able to, you know. I don't want anyone to think I'm only after you because you have money or something."

Kurt could understand how Noah might feel like that. His dad actually was well off for the community. The repair shops were doing really well and they were well respected. Kurt never had to worry about money because of that. It must be hard being on the other side of that like Noah was where he had to work, go to school, and take care of his sister. "Fine but I call dibs on the next bill."

Noah nodded and walked to the office. "I'm going to go tell Mac and Jesse that we're here."

Kurt smirked. "Make sure you knock."

Noah shuttered. "You only make that mistake once, princess."

Kurt made sure he was warmed up as he waited for the other three to come out of the office. Noah looked a little annoyed at Jesse but that wasn't abnormal as they came out. Mac was seemed ready to go as he motioned Kurt to get off the mat and follow him. Kurt quickly got up and followed Mac to the corner of the gym so they could start his lesson. Jesse followed Noah and seemed set on helping Noah with his class. For the first time all day, Kurt was able to get his mind off of Noah as he was tossed around the gym by Mac. That was one thing about the stocky man, he was very hard to ignore. By the end of the hour, Kurt was laying on the ground waiting for Noah to come and help him off of the ground. Jesse came over with his wide smile and tossed Kurt a towel. Mac nodded at the skinny teenager. "You did good today. I think you're getting it."

Kurt groaned. "If this is getting it, why does it hurt so much?"

Jesse planted himself on the ground next to Kurt. "Your body has to get used to the new movements. Once it understands what you want, the motions will become second nature. That's what you are going for."

Kurt raised an eyebrow as he tried to stretch as much as he could without moving. "And how long will that take?"

Jesse grinned down at him. "It took me a good three years."

Mac threw a towel at Jesse's head as the blonde started to laugh at Kurt's grimace. "Stop harassing him. Get up and come with me. I've got some work you can do if you are bored."

Kurt laid there for a few minutes listening to Noah teach class. He must have been dozing since he woke to a small body jumping on him. Kurt groaned as he saw more of the kids come towards him. He heard the first kid say, "I think he's dead. Mac killed him."

Noah laughed as he grabbed the boy away from Kurt. "No, you did when you landed on him. I told you to wake him up."

Kurt sat up as the kids started to pile out of the room. "Thanks."

The kid smiled at Noah as he ran towards the door. "I told you I could do it."

Noah snorted. "I'll see you next week, Mike. Say hi to your mom for me."

The kid had gotten his backpack on and was almost out the door. "Bye, Noah. Bye, Kurt."

Kurt just raised a hand as he watched the six year old leave with his mom. Noah sat down next to Kurt as silence filled the gym. Noah finally spoke. "So how about that date?"

Kurt groaned as he tried to stand. "I think the date has to come to me. Mac really pushed me hard today."

Noah smiled. "Well, you're in luck because that's exactly what is going to happen."

"What?" Kurt said as he looked at the other boy with confusion.

Noah ran into the office and came back out with a picnic basket and a pair of speakers. "I figured that you would be tired after practice and Mac plus this way we have some privacy and some protection at the same time. Your dad thought it was a good idea when I asked him about it yesterday."

Kurt couldn't believe how thoughtful Noah was being about their first date. "Thanks but are you sure that Mac and Jesse don't want to close the gym?"

Noah opened the basket and started to pull out food as he spoke. "Nope, I asked Mac about it on Monday after we talked to your dad. He liked the idea of us staying here where he could protect us. It's the papa bear in him. So since the basket was here all day, we have sandwiches and chips." Noah turned to Kurt a little sad. "I know it's not over the top or anything..."

Kurt interrupted the taller boy. "It's perfect." Kurt grabbed one of the sandwich and took a bite. Really, anything would have been fine with Kurt. Noah had gone above and beyond the whole day. Kurt felt like he was the princess that Noah always teases him about being at least in his boyfriend's eyes. This meant that Noah had put time and effort into the date that he was having with Kurt. "I'll plan the next one."

Noah smiled almost shyly at the announcement that there would be a second date. Kurt loved the fact that Noah acted so differently with him than he did with the rest of the guys. It was a whole new side to the jock. Though, he knew that Tan-Tan had been the same way. He used to go from raging mad at someone else to incredibly sweet for Kurt all the time."Sounds good, princess. So how was school today?"

Kurt and Noah talked and ate as they leaned against the wall of the gym. Every few minutes there would be silence while the two just enjoyed each other's company. It had been a hard two weeks for both of them and having the other near seemed to make them more relaxed. After they ate the chocolate cake that Kurt knew was from Barb's, Noah rose to his feet and turned on the music. He pulled Kurt up and wrapped himself around the smaller boy. The song "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz started playing as they swayed side to side. Noah sang the song softly into Kurt's ear as Kurt laid his head on Noah's shoulder. His breath tickled Kurt's ears making him shiver as he pulled Noah closer to him until there was no space between them. He felt safe as he was held tenderly against Noah's body. It felt like Noah really pulled out all the stops for the date. Kurt didn't think that it could have been any better when Noah pulled away from him and cupped his face as the Jason Mraz sang, "This oh, this oh, this is our fate, I'm yours."

Kurt pushed himself onto his toes as he wrapped his arms tighter around Noah's back and kissed his boyfriend for the first time that he could remember. And fairy tales had nothing on this kiss as far as Kurt was concerned.


End file.
